Stick welding electrode holder systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Present embodiments include systems and methods for stick welding applications. In certain embodiments, simulation stick welding electrode holders may include stick electrode retraction assemblies configured to mechanically retract a simulation stick electrode toward the stick electrode retraction assembly to simulate consumption of the simulation stick electrode during a simulated stick welding process. In addition, in certain embodiments, stick welding electrode holders may include various input and output elements that enable, for example, control inputs to be input via the stick welding electrode holders, and operational statuses to be output via the stick welding electrode holders. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, a welding training system interface may be used to facilitate communication and cooperation of various stick welding electrode holders with a welding training system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Non-provisional U.S. patent application of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/204,191, entitled “Stick WeldingElectrode Holder Systems and Methods”, filed Aug. 12, 2015, which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to welding and, moreparticularly, to a welding system that may be used for monitoring a weldenvironment and managing welding data associated with shielded metal arcwelding (SMAW) electrode holders in the weld environment, such aswelding data collected from the weld environment during and/or precedingwelding.

Welding is a process that has increasingly become utilized in variousindustries and applications. Such processes may be automated in certaincontexts, although a large number of applications continue to exist formanual welding operations. In both cases, such welding operations relyon a variety of types of equipment to ensure the supply of weldingconsumables (e.g., wire feed, shielding gas, etc.) is provided to theweld in appropriate amounts at the desired time.

In preparation for performing manual welding operations, weldingoperators may be trained using a welding system (e.g., a weldingtraining system). The welding system may be designed to train weldingoperators with the proper techniques for performing various weldingoperations. Certain welding systems may use various training methods. Asmay be appreciated, these training systems may be expensive to acquireand operate. Accordingly, welding training institutions may only acquirea limited number of such training systems. Furthermore, certain weldingsystems may not adequately train welding operators to perform highquality welds.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a welding system inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of portions of the weldingsystem of FIG. 1 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the welding stand ofFIG. 1 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a calibration device inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fixture assembly inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vertical arm assemblyof the welding stand of FIG. 1 in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an overhead welding armassembly in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an embodiment of welding software havingmultiple training modes in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a virtually reality modeof welding software in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 is an embodiment of a method for integrating training resultsdata in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is an embodiment of a chart illustrating multiple sets ofwelding data for a welding operator in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 12 is an embodiment of a chart illustrating welding data for awelder compared to welding data for a class in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a data storage system(e.g., cloud storage system) for storing certification status data inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating data corresponding toa weld in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a welding instructorscreen of welding software in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 16 is an embodiment of a method for weld training using augmentedreality in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is an embodiment of another method for weld training usingaugmented reality in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a welding tool inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is an embodiment of a method for providing vibration feedback toa welding operator using a welding tool in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 20 is a graph of an embodiment of two patterns each including adifferent frequency for providing vibration feedback to a weldingoperator in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 21 is a graph of an embodiment of two patterns each including adifferent modulation for providing vibration feedback to a weldingoperator in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 is a graph of an embodiment of two patterns each including adifferent amplitude for providing vibration feedback to a weldingoperator in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a welding tool havingspherical markers that may be used for tracking the welding tool inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 24 is perspective view of an embodiment of the welding tool, takenalong line 24-24 of FIG. 23 in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 25 is a top view of an embodiment of the welding tool and visualmarkers in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 26 is an embodiment of a method for displaying on a display of awelding tool a welding parameter in relation to a threshold inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 27 is an embodiment of a set of screenshots of a display of awelding tool for showing a welding parameter in relation to a thresholdin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 28 is an embodiment of a method for tracking a welding tool in awelding system using at least four markers in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 29 is an embodiment of a method for detecting the ability for aprocessor to communicate with a welding tool in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 30 is an embodiment of a method for calibrating a curved weld jointthat may be used with a welding system in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 31 is a diagram of an embodiment of a curved weld joint inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 32 is a diagram of an embodiment of a curved weld joint and amarking tool in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 33 is an embodiment of a method for tracking a multi-pass weldingoperation in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a welding stand inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a welding surfaceof the welding stand of FIG. 34 in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a sensing devicehaving a removable cover in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a calibration tool inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the calibration tool of FIG. 37 havingan outer cover removed in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 39 is a side view of an embodiment of a pointed tip of acalibration tool in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 40 is a side view of an embodiment of a rounded tip of acalibration tool in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 41 is a side view of an embodiment of a rounded tip of acalibration tool having a small pointed tip in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 42 is an embodiment of a method for detecting a calibration pointin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 43 is an embodiment of a method for determining a welding scorebased on a welding path in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 44 is an embodiment of a method for transitioning between weldingmodes using a user interface of a welding tool in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 45 is an embodiment of a remote welding training system inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 46 is an embodiment of a dashboard page with welding data fromdifferent operators, in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 47 is an embodiment of a welding system with depth sensors and alocal positioning system, in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 48 is an embodiment of a method of controlling visual markers ofthe welding tool to track the movement and position of the welding tool,in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional view of a base component with visualmarkers, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 50 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the arms and clampassembly of the welding stand, in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 51 is a top view of an embodiment of a mount of the clamp assemblyof FIG. 50, taken along line 51-51, in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 52 is perspective view of an embodiment of a calibration blockcoupled to the clamp assembly of FIG. 50, in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 53 is an embodiment of a method for the set up of the arms of thewelding stand for an out of position welding assignment, in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 54 is an embodiment of a method for the selection and execution ofa multi-pass welding assignment with the welding system, in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 55 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating data, including arcparameters, corresponding to a weld in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 56 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating data corresponding toa weld test for which an arc has not been detected in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 57 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating assignment developmentroutines in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 58 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating properties relating toa welding procedure in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 59 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating data corresponding toa simulated weld in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 60 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating data corresponding toa weld prior to initiation of the weld in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 61 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating a summary of weld testparameters in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 62 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating data, including arcparameters, corresponding to a weld during a weld test in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 63 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating data, including heatinput, corresponding to a weld in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 64A and 64B illustrate an embodiment of a simulation stick weldingelectrode holder in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 65A and 65B illustrate an embodiment of an actual stick weldingelectrode holder in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 66A and 66B illustrate embodiments of a simulation stick weldingelectrode holder and an actual stick welding electrode holder,respectively, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 67 is an embodiment of a stick electrode holding assembly of asimulation stick welding electrode holder in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 68A is an embodiment of an actual stick welding electrode holderhaving a plurality of discrete stick electrode holding slots inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 68B is an embodiment of a jaw of the actual stick welding electrodeholder of FIG. 68A, illustrating the plurality of discrete stickelectrode holding slots in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 68C is an embodiment of an on-screen prompt relating to the use ofthe plurality of discrete stick electrode holding slots of FIG. 68B, inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 69A and 69B illustrate embodiments of button panels of asimulation stick welding electrode holder and an actual stick weldingelectrode holder, respectively, in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 70 is an embodiment of a stick welding electrode holder having abutton panel on a handle in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 71 is an embodiment of a stick welding electrode holder having abutton panel on an outer support structure in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIGS. 72A and 72B illustrate embodiments of status indicators of asimulation stick welding electrode holder and an actual stick weldingelectrode holder, respectively, in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 73 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating parameterscorresponding to a stick welding process in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 74 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating a targeting graphic(e.g., visual guides) for a stick welding process in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 75 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating the targeting graphic(e.g., visual guides) just prior to initiation of the stick weldingprocess in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 76 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating removal of thetargeting graphic (e.g., visual guides) during performance of the stickwelding process in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 77A is an embodiment of a stick welding electrode holder having thetargeting graphic (e.g., visual guides) in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 77B is an embodiment of a handheld device having the targetinggraphic (e.g., visual guides) in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 77C is an embodiment of a stick welding electrode holder having aprojection system configured to project the targeting graphic (e.g.,visual guides) onto a workpiece in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 78 is an embodiment of a stick welding electrode holder havinggraphical range indicators in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 79 is an embodiment of a position calibration device configured toslip onto a tip of a stick welding electrode in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure;

FIGS. 80A and 80B are embodiments of screens illustrating assignmentlists for an actual stick welding process and a simulated stick weldingprocess, respectively, in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 81 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating a calibrationprocedure for a stick welding electrode holder in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 82 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating additional helpscreens in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 83 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating parameterscorresponding to a stick welding process (including feed rate) inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 84 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a connection box foruse with the welding training system in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 85 is a tabular summary of an embodiment of a state machine for theconnection box of FIG. 84 in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of one or more weldingsystems 10. As used herein, a welding system may include any suitablewelding related system, including, but not limited to, a weldingtraining system, a live welding system, a remote welding training system(e.g., helmet training system), a simulated welding system, a virtualreality welding system, and so forth. For example, the welding system 10may include, but is not limited to, a LiveArc™ Welding PerformanceManagement System, which is a weld training system available from MillerElectric of Appleton, Wis. The welding system 10 may include a weldingstand 12 for providing support for various training devices. Forexample, the welding stand 12 may be configured to support a weldingsurface, a workpiece 82, a fixture, one or more training arms, and soforth. The welding system 10 includes one or more welding tools 14 thatmay be used by a welding operator (e.g., welding student) to performwelding operations (e.g., training operations). As described in greaterdetail below, in certain embodiments, the welding tool(s) 14 may beconfigured with a user interface configured to receive inputs from thewelding operator, control circuitry configured to process the inputs,and a communication interface configured to provide the inputs toanother device. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the welding tool 14may include one or more displays and/or indicators to provide data tothe welding operator. In certain embodiments, the welding tool 14 may bea fully-functional welding torch or electrode holder capable ofgenerating a live arc between welding wire or a welding electrode and aworkpiece 82. In contrast, in other embodiments, the welding tool 14 maybe a simulation welding torch or electrode holder that is not capable ofgenerating a live arc between welding wire or a welding electrode and aworkpiece 82, but rather may be configured to simulate the generation ofa live arc between welding wire or a welding electrode and a workpiece82

Moreover, in certain embodiments, the welding system 10 includes one ormore sensing devices 16 (e.g., sensor, sensing assembly, and so forth)used to sense a position of one or more welding devices and/or to sensean orientation of one or more welding devices. For example, the sensingdevice 16 may be used to sense a position and/or an orientation of thewelding stand 12, the welding tool 14, a welding surface, the workpiece82, a fixture, one or more training arms, the operator, anidentification token, and so forth. The one or more sensing devices 16may include any suitable sensing device, such as a motion sensing deviceor a motion tracking device. Furthermore, the one or more sensingdevices 16 may include one or more cameras, such as one or more infraredcameras, one or more visible spectrum cameras, one or more high dynamicrange (HDR) cameras, and so forth. Additionally, or in the alternative,the one or more sensing devices 16 may include one or more depth sensorsto determine relative distances between the respective depth sensors andan object (e.g., welding tool 14, workpiece 82, operator, and so forth).The one or more sensing devices 16 may be positioned in variouslocations about the welding environment of the welding system 10,thereby enabling some sensing devices 16 to monitor the weldingenvironment (e.g., track movement of an object) when other sensingdevices 16 are obscured. For example, a sensing device 16 (e.g., camera,depth sensor) integrated with a welding helmet 41 may facilitatetracking the position, orientation, and/or movement of the welding tool14 relative to the workpiece 82 when the welding tool 14 is at leastpartially obscured from other sensing devices 16 by the workpiece 82 orthe operator. Furthermore, a sensing device 16 (e.g., accelerometer)integrated with the welding tool 14 may facilitate tracking theposition, orientation, and/or movement of the welding tool 14 relativeto the workpiece 82 when the welding tool 14 is at least partiallyobscured from other sensing devices 16 (e.g., cameras, depth sensors) bythe workpiece 82 or the operator.

The one or more sensing devices 16 are communicatively coupled to acomputer 18. The one or more sensing devices 16 are configured toprovide data (e.g., image data, acoustic data, sensed data, six degreesof freedom (6DOF) data, etc.) to the computer 18. Furthermore, the oneor more sensing devices 16 may be configured to receive data (e.g.,configuration data, setup data, commands, register settings, etc.) fromthe computer 18. The computer 18 includes one or more processors 20,memory devices 22, and storage devices 24. The computer 18 may include,but is not limited to, a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, a mobile device, awearable computer, or any combination thereof. The processor(s) 20 maybe used to execute software, such as welding software, image processingsoftware, sensing device software, and so forth. Moreover, theprocessor(s) 20 may include one or more microprocessors, such as one ormore “general-purpose” microprocessors, one or more special-purposemicroprocessors and/or application specific integrated circuits (ASICS),or some combination thereof. For example, the processor(s) 20 mayinclude one or more reduced instruction set (RISC) processors.

The storage device(s) 24 (e.g., nonvolatile storage) may include ROM,flash memory, a hard drive, or any other suitable optical, magnetic, orsolid-state storage medium, or a combination thereof. The storagedevice(s) 24 may store data (e.g., data corresponding to a weldingoperation, video and/or parameter data corresponding to a weldingoperation, data corresponding to an identity and/or a registrationnumber of the operator, data corresponding to past operator performance,etc.), instructions (e.g., software or firmware for the welding system,the one or more sensing devices 16, etc.), and any other suitable data.As will be appreciated, data that corresponds to a welding operation mayinclude a video recording of the welding operation, a simulated video,an orientation of the welding tool 14, a position of the welding tool14, a work angle, a travel angle, a distance between a contact tip ofthe welding tool 14 and a workpiece, a travel speed, an aim, a voltage,a current, a traversed path, a discontinuity analysis, welding devicesettings, and so forth.

The memory device(s) 22 may include a volatile memory, such as randomaccess memory (RAM), and/or a nonvolatile memory, such as read-onlymemory (ROM). The memory device(s) 22 may store a variety of informationand may be used for various purposes. For example, the memory device(s)22 may store processor-executable instructions (e.g., firmware orsoftware) for the processor(s) 20 to execute, such as instructions for awelding training simulation, for the one or more sensing devices 16,and/or for an operator identification system 43. In addition, a varietyof control regimes for various welding processes, along with associatedsettings and parameters may be stored in the storage device(s) 24 and/ormemory device(s) 22, along with code configured to provide a specificoutput (e.g., initiate wire feed, enable gas flow, capture weldingcurrent data, detect short circuit parameters, determine amount ofspatter, etc.) during operation. The welding power supply 28 may be usedto provide welding power to a live-arc welding operation, and the wirefeeder 30 may be used to provide welding wire to the live-arc weldingoperation.

In certain embodiments, the welding system 10 includes a display 32 fordisplaying data and/or screens associated with welding (e.g., to displaydata corresponding to a welding software). For example, the display 32may provide a graphical user interface to a welding operator (e.g.,welding instructor, welding student). The graphical user interface mayprovide various screens to enable the welding instructor to organize aclass, provide assignments to the class, analyze assignments performedby the class, provide assignments to an individual, analyze assignmentsperformed by the individual, add, change, and/or delete parameters for awelding assignment, and so forth. Furthermore, the graphical userinterface may provide various screens to enable a welding operator(e.g., welding student) to perform a welding assignment, view resultsfrom prior welding assignments, and so forth. In certain embodiments,the display 32 may be a touch screen display configured to receive touchinputs, and to provide data corresponding to the touch inputs to thecomputer 18.

In certain embodiments, an external display 34 may be coupled to thecomputer 18 to enable an individual located remotely from the weldingsystem 10 to view data corresponding to the welding system 10.Furthermore, in certain embodiments, a network device 36 may be coupledto the computer 18 to enable the computer 18 to communicate with otherdevices connected to the Internet or another network 38 (e.g., forproviding test results to another device and/or for receiving testresults from another device). For example, the network device 36 mayenable the computer 18 to communicate with an external welding system40, a production welding system 42, a remote computer 44, and/or a datastorage system (e.g., cloud storage system) 318. As may be appreciated,the welding system 10 described herein may be used to train weldingstudents in a cost effective manner. In some embodiments, the one ormore welding systems 10 may include a helmet 41 having a display 32 andone or more sensing devices 16, such as optical or acoustic sensingdevices. As described in detail below, the helmet 41 is communicativelycoupled to the computer 18, and the helmet 41 may facilitate weldingtraining and/or welding monitoring without the welding stand 12. In someembodiments, the one or more sensing devices 16 integrated with thehelmet 41 may facilitate welding training and/or welding monitoringwithout separate sensing devices 16 external to the helmet 41.Furthermore, the welding system 10 is configured to integrate realwelding with simulated welding in a manner that prepares weldingstudents for high quality production welding.

In certain embodiments, an operator identification system 43 may becoupled to the computer 18 to enable an operator utilizing the weldingsystem 10 to be identified. The operator identification system 43utilizes one or more types of operator information (e.g., identifiers)to identify the operator. Operator information may include, but is notlimited to, a resettable identifier 45 (e.g., password, motion sequence,operator-performed action), a biometric identifier 47 (e.g., retinalscan, fingerprint, palm print, facial profile, voice profile, inherentoperator trait), information based at least in part on a biometricidentifier 47, a token 49 (e.g., key, key fob, radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag, passcard, barcode, physical identifier), orany combination thereof. Additionally, or in the alternative, aninstructor or manager may provide an input to the operatoridentification system 43 to verify the identity of the operator, therebyauthorizing the operator for the welding session (e.g., weldingassignment) and the associated weld data. That is, the identification ofan operator may involve one or more steps, such as operatoridentification via information received from the operator, and operatorverification via information received from the instructor and/or managerof the operator. In some embodiments, the operator identification system43 may utilize the one or more sensing devices 16 to facilitate operatoridentification. For example, a camera or microphone of the weldingsystem 10 may receive the biometric identifier 47. Moreover, theoperator identification system 43 may have an input device 51 (e.g.,keypad, touch screen, retinal scanner, fingerprint sensor, camera,microphone, barcode scanner, radio transceiver, and so forth) configuredto receive the one or more types of operator identification information.

The operator identification system 43 may identify the operator prior toperforming a weld process (e.g., live process, training process,simulated process, virtual reality process) or after performing the weldprocess. In some embodiments, the operator identification system 43 mayenable or lock out an operator from utilizing the welding system 10based on the one or more identifiers received via the input device 51.For example, the operator identification system 43 may lock out a firstoperator (e.g., student) from utilizing the welding system 10 until theoperator identification system 43 receives a first input from the firstoperator that may identify the first operator. In some embodiments, thewelding system 10 may enable the first operator to perform a weldingsession with the welding system 10 without verification of the identityof the first operator; however, the welding system 10 may store and/ortransmit the welding data associated with such a welding session onlyupon verification of the identity of the first operator based at leastin part on a second input from a second operator (e.g., instructor,administrator). That is, the operator identification system 43 maydisable the storage or transmission of the welding data associated witha welding session until the identity of the first operator thatperformed the welding session is verified by the second operator.Moreover, some embodiments of the welding system 10 may lock out thefirst operator from utilizing the welding system until a second input isreceived from the second operator that verifies the identity of thefirst operator, which was preliminarily determined based on the firstinput from the first operator. In some embodiments, the operatoridentification system 43 may identify the operator during a weldprocess, such as via an identifying characteristic of an operator duringthe weld process. For example, a first operator may hold the weldingtool 14 differently than a second operator, and a sensing device 16(e.g., camera) coupled to the operator identification system 43 mayfacilitate distinguishing the first operator from the second operator.Additionally, or in the alternative, the operator identification system43 may include a sensor (e.g., fingerprint scanner, camera, microphone)on the welding tool 14 and/or the helmet 41. In some embodiments, aninstructor and/or a manager may confirm upon completion of a weldprocess that the identified operator performed the weld process.

The operator identification system 43 may communicate with the computer18 to determine the identity of the operator utilizing the receivedidentification information. In some embodiments, the computer 18 maycommunicate with the network 38 and/or a remote computer 44 to determinethe identity of the operator. The computer 18 may control the display 32to display at least some of the information associated with the operatorupon identification of the operator. For example, the display 32 maypresent the name, a photo, registration number, experience level, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the operator identificationsystem 43 may be utilized with one or more welding systems 10.

The computer 18 may receive welding data (e.g., welding parameters, arcparameters) corresponding to a welding session (e.g., weldingassignment) during and/or after the respective welding session isperformed by the operator. The computer 18 may receive the welding datafrom the network 38, the one or more sensing devices 16, the weldingtool 14, the welding power supply 28, the wire feeder 30, or the helmet41, or any combination thereof. Additionally, or in the alternative, thecomputer 18 may associate the received welding data with the identity ofthe operator, such as via a registration number unique to the operator,the operator's name, and/or a photograph of the operator. Moreover, thecomputer 18 may transmit the associated welding data and identity of theoperator (e.g., registration number) to a data storage system within thewelding system 10 or located remotely via the network 38. Association ofthe welding data with the identity of the operator (e.g., via theregistration number) enables significantly more than the collection ofunassociated welding data from operators. That is, association of thewelding data with a registration number unique to the operator enablessomeone (e.g., the operator, instructor, manager) that is either localor remote from the operator to track the performance, progress, andskills of the operator over time via the registration number.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of portions of the weldingsystem 10 of FIG. 1. As illustrated, in certain embodiments, a powerdistribution assembly 46 provides power to the welding tool 14 and thecomputer 18. Moreover, the welding tool 14 includes control circuitry 52configured to control the operation of the welding tool 14. In theillustrated embodiment, the control circuitry 52 includes one or moreprocessors 54, memory devices 56, and storage devices 58. In otherembodiments, the control circuitry 52 may not include the processors 54,the memory devices 56, and/or the storage devices 58. The processor(s)54 may be used to execute software, such as welding tool software.Moreover, the processor(s) 54 may be similar to the processor(s) 20described previously. Furthermore, the memory device(s) 56 may besimilar to the memory device(s) 22, and the storage device(s) 58 may besimilar to the storage device(s) 24.

In certain embodiments, the welding tool 14 includes a user interface 60to enable a welding operator (e.g., welding student, welding instructor,etc.) to interact with the welding tool 14 and/or to provide inputs tothe welding tool 14. For example, the user interface 60 may includebuttons, switches, touch screens, touchpads, scanners, and so forth. Theinputs provided to the welding tool 14 by the welding operator may beprovided to the computer 18. For example, the inputs provided to thewelding tool 14 may be used to control welding software being executedby the computer 18. As such, the welding operator may use the userinterface 60 on the welding tool 14 to navigate the welding softwarescreens, setup procedures, data analysis, welding courses, makeselections within the welding software, configure the welding software,and so forth. Thus, the welding operator can use the welding tool 14 tocontrol the welding software (e.g., the welding operator does not haveto put down the welding tool 14 to use a different input device). Incertain embodiments, the welding tool 14 also includes visual indicators61, such as a display 62 and LEDs 64. The visual indicators 61 may beconfigured to indicate or display data and/or images corresponding to aweld, welding training, and/or welding software. For example, the visualindicators 61 may be configured to indicate a welding tool orientation,a welding tool travel speed, a welding tool position, a contact tip toworkpiece distance, an aim of the welding tool 14, training informationfor the welding operator, and so forth. Moreover, the visual indicators61 may be configured to provide visual indications before a weld, duringa weld, and/or after a weld. In certain embodiments, the LEDs 64 mayilluminate to facilitate their detection by the one or more sensingdevices 16. In such embodiments, the LEDs 64 may be positioned to enablethe one or more sensing devices 16 to determine a position and/or anorientation of the welding tool 14 based on a spatial position of theLEDs 64.

Returning to FIG. 2, in certain embodiments, the welding tool 14includes power conversion circuitry 66 configured to receive power fromthe power distribution assembly 46, the computer 18, or another device,and to convert the received power for powering the welding tool 14. Incertain embodiments, the welding tool 14 may receive power that isalready converted and/or does not utilize power conversion. Moreover, insome embodiments, the welding tool 14 may be powered by a battery or anysuitable powering mechanism. In certain embodiments, the welding tool 14also includes a communication interface 68 (e.g., RS-232 driver) tofacilitate communication between the welding tool 14 and the computer18.

In embodiments where the welding tool 14 is a welding torch, the weldingtool 14 may include a trigger 70 configured to mechanically actuate atrigger switch 72 between an open position (as illustrated) and a closedposition. The trigger 70 provides a conductor 71 to carry a signal tothe control circuitry 52 to indicate whether the trigger switch 72 is inthe open position or the closed position. The wire feeder 30, thewelding power supply 28, and/or the computer 18 may determine whetherthere is continuity through the welding tool 14 across a first triggerconductor 74 and a second trigger conductor 76. The trigger switch 72 iselectrically coupled between the first trigger conductor 74 and thesecond trigger conductor 76. Continuity across the first triggerconductor 74 and the second trigger conductor 76 may be determined byapplying a voltage across the conductors 74 and 76, applying a currentacross the conductors 74 and 76, measuring a resistance across theconductors 74 and 76, and so forth. In certain embodiments, portions ofthe first trigger conductor 74 and/or portions of the second triggerconductor 76 may be disposed within a connector of the welding tool 14.Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the arrangement of switches and/orconductors within the welding tool 14 may be different than illustratedin FIG. 2.

The welding power supply 28 may determine whether to enable weldingpower to flow through the welding tool 14 based on whether there iscontinuity across the conductors 74 and 76. For example, the weldingpower supply 28 may enable welding power to flow through the weldingtool 14 while there is continuity across the conductors 74 and 76, andthe welding power supply 28 may block welding power from flowing throughthe welding tool 14 while there is an open circuit across the conductors74 and 76. Furthermore, the wire feeder 30 may provide welding wire tothe welding tool 14 while there is continuity across the conductors 74and 76, and may block welding wire from being provided to the weldingtool 14 while there is an open circuit across the conductors 74 and 76.Moreover, the computer 18 may use the continuity across the conductors74 and 76 and/or the position of the trigger 70 or trigger switch 72 tostart and/or stop a welding operation, a welding simulation, datarecording, and so forth.

With the trigger switch 72 in the open position, there is an opencircuit across the conductors 74 and 76, thus, the open position of thetrigger switch 72 blocks electron flow between the conductors 74 and 76.Accordingly, the welding power supply 28 may block welding power fromflowing through the welding tool 14 and the wire feeder 30 may blockwelding wire from being provided to the welding tool 14. Pressing thetrigger 70 directs the trigger switch 72 to the closed position wherethe trigger switch 72 remains as long as the trigger 70 is pressed. Withthe trigger switch 72 in the closed position, there is continuitybetween the first trigger conductor 74 and a conductor 77 electricallyconnected to the trigger switch 72 and a training switch 78.

The training switch 78 is electrically coupled between the first triggerconductor 74 and the second trigger conductor 76. Moreover, the trainingswitch 78 is electrically controlled by the control circuitry 52 to anopen position or to a closed position. In certain embodiments, thetraining switch 78 may be any suitable electrically controlled switch,such as a transistor, relay, etc. The control circuitry 52 mayselectively control the training switch 78 to the open position or tothe closed position. For example, while welding software of the weldingsystem 10 is operating in a live-arc mode, the control circuitry 52 maybe configured to control the training switch 78 to the closed positionto enable a live welding arc while the trigger 70 is pressed. Incontrast, while welding software of the welding system 10 is operatingin any mode other than the live-arc mode (e.g., simulation, virtualreality, augmented reality, etc.), the control circuitry 52 may beconfigured to control the training switch 78 to the open position toblock a live welding arc (by blocking electron flow between theconductors 74 and 76).

In certain embodiments, the training switch 78 may default to the openposition, thereby establishing an open circuit across the conductors 74and 76. As may be appreciated, while the training switch 78 is in theopen position, there will be an open circuit across the conductors 74and 76 regardless of the position of the trigger switch 72 (e.g.,electron flow between the conductors 74 and 76 is blocked by the openposition of the training switch 78). However, while the training switch78 is controlled to the closed position, and the trigger switch 72 is inthe closed position, conductivity is established between the conductors74 and 76 (e.g., electron flow between the conductors 74 and 76 isenabled). Accordingly, the welding power supply 28 may enable weldingpower to flow through the welding tool 14 only while the training switch78 is in the closed position and while the trigger switch 72 is in theclosed position. For example, welding power may flow from the weldingpower supply 28, through a weld cable 80, the welding tool 14, aworkpiece 82, and return to the welding power supply 28 via a work cable84 (e.g., electrode-negative, or straight polarity). Conversely, weldingpower may flow from the welding power supply 28, through the work cable84, the workpiece 82, the welding tool 14, and return to the weldingpower supply 28 via the weld cable 80 (e.g., electrode-positive, orreverse polarity).

As may be appreciated, the training switch 78 may be physically locatedin any suitable portion of the welding system 10, such as the computer18, and so forth. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the functionalityof the training switch 78 may be replaced by any suitable hardwareand/or software in the welding system 10.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the welding stand 12 ofFIG. 1. The welding stand 12 includes a welding surface 88 on which livewelds (e.g., real welds, actual welds) and/or simulated welds may beperformed. Legs 90 provide support to the welding surface 88. In certainembodiments, the welding surface 88 may include slots 91 to aid awelding operator in positioning and orienting the workpiece 82. Incertain embodiments, the position and orientation of the workpiece 82may be provided to welding software of the welding system 10 tocalibrate the welding system 10. For example, a welding operator mayprovide an indication to the welding software identifying which slot 91of the welding surface 88 the workpiece 82 is aligned with. Furthermore,a predefined welding assignment may direct the welding operator to alignthe workpiece 82 with a particular slot 91. In certain embodiments, theworkpiece 82 may include an extension 92 configured to extend into oneor more of the slots 91 for alignment of the workpiece 82 with the oneor more slots 91. As may be appreciated, each of the slots 91 may bepositioned at a location corresponding to a respective location definedin the welding software.

In certain embodiments, the welding surface 88 includes a first aperture93 and a second aperture 94. The first and second apertures 93 and 94may be used together to determine a position and/or an orientation ofthe welding surface 88. As may be appreciated, in certain embodiments atleast three apertures may be used to determine the position and/or theorientation of the welding surface 88. In some embodiments, more thanthree apertures may be used to determine the position and/or theorientation of the welding surface 88. The first and second apertures 93and 94 may be positioned at any suitable location on the welding surface88, and may be any suitable size. In certain embodiments, the positionand/or orientation of the welding surface 88 relative to one or moresensing devices 16 may be calibrated using the first and secondapertures 93 and 94. For example, as described in greater detail below,a calibration device configured to be sensed by one or more sensingdevices 16 may be inserted into the first aperture 93, or touched to thefirst aperture 93. While the calibration device is inserted into, ortouching, the first aperture 93, a user input provided to the weldingsoftware (or other calibration software) may indicate that thecalibration device is inserted into the first aperture 93. As a result,the welding software may establish a correlation between a first dataset (e.g., calibration data) received from one or more sensing devices16 (e.g., position and/or orientation data) at a first time and thelocation of first aperture 93. The calibration device may next beinserted into the second aperture 94, or touched to the second aperture94. While the calibration device is inserted into, or touching, thesecond aperture 94, a user input provided to the welding software mayindicate that the calibration device is inserted into the secondaperture 94. As a result, the welding software may establish acorrelation between a second data set (e.g., calibration data) receivedfrom one or more sensing devices 16 at a second time and the location ofsecond aperture 94. Thus, the welding software may be able to calibratethe position and/or orientation of the welding surface 88 relative toone or more sensing devices 16 using the first data set received at thefirst time and the second data set received at the second time.

In certain embodiments, the welding surface 88 also includes a firstmarker 95 and a second marker 96. The first and second markers 95 and 96may be used together to determine a position and/or an orientation ofthe welding surface 88. As may be appreciated, in certain embodiments,at least three markers may be used to determine the position and/or theorientation of the welding surface 88. In some embodiments, more thanthree markers may be used to determine the position and/or theorientation of the welding surface 88. The first and second markers 95and 96 may be formed from any suitable material. Moreover, in certainembodiments, the first and second markers 95 and 96 may be built intothe welding surface 88, while in other embodiments, the first and secondmarkers 95 and 96 may be attached to the welding surface 88. Forexample, the first and second markers 95 and 96 may be attached to thewelding surface 88 using an adhesive and/or the first and second markers95 and 96 may be stickers. The first and second markers 95 and 96 mayhave any suitable shape, size, and/or color. Furthermore, in certainembodiments, the first and second markers 95 and 96 may be a reflectorformed from a reflective material. The first and second markers 95 and96 may be used by the welding system 10 to calibrate the position and/ororientation of the welding surface 88 relative to one or more sensingdevices 16 without a separate calibration device. Accordingly, the firstand second markers 95 and 96 are configured to be detected by one ormore sensing devices 16. In certain embodiments, the first and secondmarkers 95 and 96 may be positioned at predetermined locations on thewelding surface 88. Furthermore, the welding software may be programmedto use the predetermined locations to determine the position and/or theorientation of the welding surface 88. In other embodiments, thelocation of the first and second markers 95 and 96 may be provided tothe welding software during calibration. With the first and secondmarkers 95 and 96 on the welding surface 88, one or more sensing devices16 may sense the position and/or orientation of the first and secondmarkers 95 and 96 relative to the one or more sensing devices 16. Usingthis sensed data in conjunction with the location of the first andsecond markers 95 and 96 on the welding surface 88, the welding softwaremay be able to calibrate the position and/or orientation of the weldingsurface 88 relative to one or more sensing devices 16. In someembodiments, the welding surface 88 may be removable and/or reversible.In such embodiments, the welding surface 88 may be flipped over, such asif the welding surface 88 become worn.

In the illustrated embodiment, the workpiece 82 includes a first marker98 and a second marker 99. The first and second markers 98 and 99 may beused together to determine a position and/or an orientation of theworkpiece 82. As may be appreciated, at least two markers are used todetermine the position and/or the orientation of the workpiece 82. Incertain embodiments, more than two markers may be used to determine theposition and/or the orientation of the workpiece 82. The first andsecond markers 98 and 99 may be formed from any suitable material.Moreover, in certain embodiments, the first and second markers 98 and 99may be built into the workpiece 82, while in other embodiments, thefirst and second markers 98 and 99 may be attached to the workpiece 82.For example, the first and second markers 98 and 99 may be attached tothe workpiece 82 using an adhesive and/or the first and second markers98 and 99 may be stickers. As a further example, the first and secondmarkers 98 and 99 may be clipped or clamped onto the workpiece 82. Thefirst and second markers 98 and 99 may have any suitable shape, size,and/or color. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the first and secondmarkers 98 and 99 may be a reflector formed from a reflective material.The first and second markers 98 and 99 may be used by the welding system10 to calibrate the position and/or orientation of the workpiece 82relative to one or more sensing devices 16 without a separatecalibration device. Accordingly, the first and second markers 98 and 99are configured to be detected by one or more sensing devices 16. Incertain embodiments, the first and second markers 98 and 99 may bepositioned at predetermined locations on the workpiece 82. Furthermore,the welding software may be programmed to use the predeterminedlocations to determine the position and/or the orientation of theworkpiece 82. In other embodiments, the location of the first and secondmarkers 98 and 99 may be provided to the welding software duringcalibration. With the first and second markers 98 and 99 on theworkpiece 82, one or more sensing devices 16 may sense the positionand/or orientation of the first and second markers 98 and 99 relative tothe one or more sensing devices 16. Using this sensed data inconjunction with the location of the first and second markers 98 and 99on the workpiece 82, the welding software may be able to calibrate theposition and/or orientation of the workpiece 82 relative to one or moresensing devices 16. While the markers 95, 96, 98, and 99 have beendescribed herein as being detected by one or more sensing devices 16, incertain embodiments, the markers 95, 96, 98, and 99 may indicatelocations where a calibration device is to be touched for calibrationusing the calibration device, as described previously.

In certain embodiments, the welding stand 12 includes a first arm 100extending vertically from the welding surface 88 and configured toprovide support for the one or more sensing devices 16 and the display32. A knob 101 is attached to the first arm 100 and may be used toadjust an orientation of the one or more sensing devices 16 relative tothe first arm 100. For example, as the knob 101 is adjusted, mechanicalcomponents extending through the first arm 100 may adjust an angle ofthe one or more sensing devices 16. In certain embodiments, the display32 includes a cover 102 to protect the display 32 from welding emissionsthat may occur during a live welding operation. The cover 102 may bemade from any suitable material, such as a transparent material, apolymer, and so forth. By using a transparent material, a weldingoperator may view the display 32 while the cover 102 is positioned infront of the display 32, such as before, during, and/or after a weldingoperation. In certain embodiments, the one or more sensing devices 16may include a camera 104 coupled to the first arm 100 for recordingwelding operations. In certain embodiments, the camera 104 may be a highdynamic range (HDR) camera. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the oneor more sensing devices 16 may include one or more emitters 105 coupledto the first arm 100. The emitters 105 may be used to calibrate theposition and/or orientation of the welding surface 88 relative to one ormore sensing devices 16. For example, the one or more emitters 105 maybe configured to emit a visible pattern onto the welding surface 88, theworkpiece 82, the welding tool 14, or the operator, or any combinationthereof. That is, the patterns emitted by the one or more emitters 105are visible to the camera 104. The emitter 105 may emit the visiblepattern at a desired wavelength, such as a wavelength in the infrared,visible, or ultraviolet spectrum (e.g., approximately 1 mm to 120 nm).The visible patterns may be shown onto the welding surface 88 and/or theworkpiece 82. Furthermore, the visible patterns may be detected by theone or more sensing devices 16 to calibrate the position and/or theorientation of the welding surface 88 relative to the one or moresensing devices 16. For example, based on particular features of thevisible pattern alignments and/or orientations may be determined by theone or more sensing devices 16 and/or the welding software. Moreover,the visible patterns emitted by the one or more emitters 105 may be usedto facilitate positioning of the workpiece 82 on the welding surface 88.As discussed in greater detail below, the visible patterns may bedetected by the one or more sensing devices 16 (e.g., cameras 104) todetermine a shape (e.g., tube, S-shape, I-shape, U-shape) of theworkpiece 82, the operator, or position of the welding tool 14 prior towelding. In some embodiments, the visible pattern may be detected by theone or more sensing devices 16 during welding to detect workpiece 82,the operator, the welding tool 14, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the one or more sensing devices 16 of the weldingstand 12 may include a second camera 109 coupled to a third arm 107 forrecording welding operations in a similar manner to the camera 104.Furthermore, a second emitter 113 coupled to the third arm 107 may emita visible pattern onto the welding surface 88, the workpiece 82, thewelding tool 14, or the operator, or any combination thereof. The secondemitter 113 may emit the visible pattern at a desired wavelength, suchas a wavelength in the infrared, visible, or ultraviolet spectrum. Thevisible pattern emitted from the second emitter 113 may be approximatelythe same wavelength or a different wavelength than the visible patternemitted by the emitter 105. As may be appreciated, the second camera 109and the second emitter 113 may be positioned to have a differentorientation (e.g., perpendicular) relative to the workpiece 82 than thecamera 104 and the emitter 105, thereby enabling the determination ofthe shape of the workpiece 82, the position of the operator, or theposition of the welding tool 14 in the event that the sensing device 16of either arm 100, 107 is obscured from view of a portion of the weldingenvironment. In some embodiments, the sensing devices 16 may includemultiple sets of cameras and emitters arranged at various points aboutthe welding environment on or off the welding stand 12 to facilitate themonitoring of the position and movement of objects in the weldingenvironment if one or more sensing devices 16 are obscured from view ofthe welding environment. As discussed in greater detail below, thecamera 104 and the emitter 105 may be integrated with the welding helmet41, thereby enabling the welding system 10 to monitor the positionand/or orientation of the welding tool 14 and the workpiece relative tothe welding helmet 41.

In certain embodiments, the welding stand 12 also includes a second arm106 extending vertically from the welding surface 88 and configured toprovide support for a welding plate 108 (e.g., vertical welding plate,horizontal welding plate, overhead welding plate, etc.). The second arm106 may be adjustable to facilitate overhead welding at differentheights. Moreover, the second arm 106 may be manufactured in a number ofdifferent ways to facilitate overhead welding at different heights. Thewelding plate 108 is coupled to the second arm 106 using a mountingassembly 110. The mounting assembly 110 facilitates rotation of thewelding plate 108 as illustrated by arrow 111. For example, the weldingplate 108 may be rotated from extending generally in the horizontalplane (e.g., for overhead welding), as illustrated, to extend generallyin the vertical plane (e.g., for vertical welding). The welding plate108 includes a welding surface 112. In certain embodiments, the weldingsurface 112 includes slots 114 that may aid a welding operator inpositioning the workpiece 82 on the welding surface 112, similar to theslots 91 on the welding surface 88. In certain embodiments, the positionof the workpiece 82 may be provided to welding software of the weldingsystem 10 to calibrate the welding system 10. For example, a weldingoperator may provide an indication to the welding software identifyingwhich slot 114 of the welding surface 112 the workpiece 82 is alignedwith. Furthermore, a predefined welding assignment may direct thewelding operator to align the workpiece 82 with a particular slot 114.In certain embodiments, the workpiece 82 may include an extensionconfigured to extend into one or more of the slots 114 for alignment ofthe workpiece 82 with the one or more slots 114. As may be appreciated,each of the slots 114 may be positioned at a location corresponding to arespective location defined in the welding software.

In certain embodiments, the welding surface 112 also includes a firstmarker 116 and a second marker 118. The first and second markers 116 and118 may be used together to determine a position and/or an orientationof the welding surface 112. As may be appreciated, at least two markersare used to determine the position and/or the orientation of the weldingsurface 112. In certain embodiments, more than two markers may be usedto determine the position and/or the orientation of the welding surface112. The first and second markers 116 and 118 may be formed from anysuitable material. Moreover, in certain embodiments, the first andsecond markers 116 and 118 may be built into the welding surface 112 (oranother part of the welding plate 108), while in other embodiments, thefirst and second markers 116 and 118 may be attached to the weldingsurface 112 (or another part of the welding plate 108). For example, thefirst and second markers 116 and 118 may be attached to the weldingsurface 112 using an adhesive and/or the first and second markers 116and 118 may be stickers. As a further example, the first and secondmarkers 116 and 118 may be clipped or clamped onto the welding surface112. In some embodiments, the first and second markers 116 and 118 maybe integrated into a holding clamp that is clamped onto a weldingcoupon. The first and second markers 116 and 118 may have any suitableshape, size, and/or color. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, thefirst and second markers 116 and 118 may be a reflector formed from areflective material.

The first and second markers 116 and 118 may be used by the weldingsystem 10 to calibrate the position and/or orientation of the weldingsurface 112 relative to the one or more sensing devices 16 without aseparate calibration device. Accordingly, the first and second markers116 and 118 are configured to be detected by the one or more sensingdevices 16. In certain embodiments, the first and second markers 116 and118 may be positioned at predetermined locations on the welding surface112. Furthermore, the welding software may be programmed to use thepredetermined locations to determine the position and/or the orientationof the welding surface 112. In other embodiments, the location of thefirst and second markers 116 and 118 may be provided to the weldingsoftware during calibration. With the first and second markers 116 and118 on the welding surface 112, one or more sensing device 16 may sensethe position and/or orientation of the first and second markers 116 and118 relative to the one or more sensing devices 16. Using this senseddata in conjunction with the location of the first and second markers116 and 118 on the welding surface 112, the welding software may be ableto calibrate the position and/or orientation of the welding surface 112relative to one or more sensing devices 16. Furthermore, the one or moresensing devices 16 may sense and/or track the first and second markers116 and 118 during a weld to account for any movement of the weldingplate 108 that may occur during the weld. While the markers 116 and 118have been described herein as being detected by the one or more sensingdevices 16, in certain embodiments, the markers 116 and 118 may indicatelocations where a calibration device is to be touched or inserted forcalibration using the calibration device, as described previously.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a calibration device120. In some embodiments, the calibration device 120 is shaped like awelding tool and may be used for calibrating the position and/ororientation of the welding surfaces 88 and 112 relative to the one ormore sensing devices 16. In other embodiments, the calibration device120 may be used for calibrating the position and/or orientation of awelding joint. The calibration device 120 includes a handle 122 and anozzle 124. The nozzle 124 includes a pointed end 126 that may be usedto touch a location for calibration and/or to be inserted into anaperture for calibration. The calibration device 120 also includes auser interface 128 that enables the welding operator to provide inputcorresponding to a time that the calibration device 120 is touching alocation for calibration and/or is being inserted into an aperture forcalibration. Moreover, in certain embodiments, the calibration device120 includes markers 130 configured to be sensed by the one or moresensing devices 16. As illustrated, the markers 130 extend from thecalibration device 120. However, in other embodiments, the markers 130may not extend from the calibration device 120. The markers 130 may beany suitable marker configured to be detected by the one or more sensingdevices 16 (e.g., cameras). Moreover, the markers 130 may be anysuitable size, shape, and/or color.

During calibration, the sensing devices 16 may sense a position of thecalibration device 120 and/or an orientation of the calibration device120. The position and/or orientation of the calibration device 120 maybe used by the welding software to determine a position and/ororientation of one or more of the welding surfaces 88 and 112 relativeto the sensing devices 16, a position and/or orientation of theworkpiece 82 relative to the sensing devices 16, a position and/ororientation of a fixture relative to the sensing devices 16, and soforth. Thus, the calibration device 120 may facilitate calibration ofthe welding system 10. In some embodiments, a tray may be positionedbeneath the welding surface 88 for storing the calibration device 120.Moreover, in certain embodiments, live welding may be disabled if thecalibration device 120 is able to be tracked by the sensing devices 16(e.g., to block spatter from contacting the calibration device 120).

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fixture assembly 132.The fixture assembly 132 may be positioned on the welding surface 88and/or the welding surface 112, and may secure the workpiece 82 thereon.In certain embodiments, the fixture assembly 132 may be configured toalign with one or more of the slots 91 and 114. In other embodiments,the fixture assembly 132 may be placed at any location on the weldingsurface 88 and/or the welding surface 112. The fixture assembly 132 alsoincludes a first marker 134 and a second marker 136. The first andsecond markers 134 and 136 may be used together to determine a positionand/or an orientation of the fixture assembly 132. As may beappreciated, at least two markers are used to determine the positionand/or the orientation of the fixture assembly 132. The first and secondmarkers 134 and 136 may be formed from any suitable material. Moreover,in certain embodiments, the first and second markers 134 and 136 may bebuilt into the fixture assembly 132, while in other embodiments, thefirst and second markers 134 and 136 may be attached to the fixtureassembly 132. For example, the first and second markers 134 and 136 maybe attached to the fixture assembly 132 using an adhesive and/or thefirst and second markers 134 and 136 may be stickers. The first andsecond markers 134 and 136 may have any suitable shape, size, and/orcolor. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the first and second markers134 and 136 may be a reflector formed from a reflective material. Thefirst and second markers 134 and 136 may be used by the welding system10 to calibrate the position and/or orientation of the fixture assembly132 relative to the one or more sensing devices 16 without a separatecalibration device. Accordingly, the first and second markers 134 and136 are configured to be detected by the sensing devices 16. In certainembodiments, the first and second markers 134 and 136 may be positionedat predetermined locations on the fixture assembly 132. Furthermore, thewelding software may be programmed to use the predetermined locations todetermine the position and/or the orientation of the fixture assembly132. In other embodiments, the location of the first and second markers134 and 136 may be provided to the welding software during calibration.With the first and second markers 134 and 136 on the fixture assembly132, the one or more sensing devices 16 may sense the position and/ororientation of the first and second markers 134 and 136 relative to thesensing devices 16. Using this sensed data in conjunction with thelocation of the first and second markers 134 and 136 on the fixtureassembly 132, the welding software may be able to calibrate the positionand/or orientation of the fixture assembly 132 relative to the sensingdevices 16. While the first and second markers 134 and 136 have beendescribed herein as being detected by the sensing devices 16, in certainembodiments, the first and second markers 134 and 136 may indicatelocations where a calibration device is to be touched or inserted forcalibration using the calibration device 120, as described previously.

In the illustrated embodiment, the fixture assembly 132 is configured tosecure a lower portion 138 of the workpiece 82 to an upper portion 140of the workpiece 82 for performing a lap weld. In other embodiments, thefixture assembly 132 may be configured to secure portions of theworkpiece 82 for performing a butt weld, a fillet weld, and so forth, toaid a welding operator in performing a weld. The fixture assembly 132includes vertical arms 142 extending from a base 143. A cross bar 144extends between the vertical arms 142, and is secured to the verticalarms 142. Adjustment mechanisms 146 (e.g., knobs) may be adjusted todirect locking devices 148 toward the workpiece 82 for securing theworkpiece 82 between the locking devices 148 and the base 143 of thefixture assembly 132. Conversely, the adjustment mechanisms 146 may beadjusted to direct the locking devices 148 away from the workpiece 82for removing the workpiece 82 from being between the locking devices 148and the base 143. Accordingly, the workpiece 82 may be selectivelysecured to the fixture assembly 132.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vertical arm assembly223 of the welding stand 12 of FIG. 3. As illustrated, one or moresensing devices 16 are attached to the first arm 100. Furthermore, thesensing devices 16 include one or more cameras 224, and one or moreinfrared emitters 226. However, in other embodiments, the sensing device16 may include any suitable number of cameras, emitters, and/or othersensing devices. A pivot assembly 228 is coupled to the first arm 100and to the one or more sensing devices 16, and enables an angle of theone or more sensing devices 16 to be adjusted while the one or moresensing devices 16 rotate as illustrated by arrow 229. As may beappreciated, adjusting the angle of the one or more sensing devices 16relative to the first arm 100 changes the field of view of the one ormore sensing devices 16 (e.g., to change the portion of the weldingsurface 88 and/or the welding surface 112 sensed by the sensing device16). In some embodiments, the one or more sensing devices 16 may bearranged to observe at least a portion (e.g., hands, face) of theoperator prior to and/or after completion of a weld process. Observationof the operator by the one or more sensing devices 16, such as by acamera, may facilitate operator identification and verification that theidentified operator performed the observed weld process.

In certain embodiments, cords 230 extend between the knob 101 and theone or more sensing devices 16. The cord 230 is routed through a pulley232 to facilitate rotation of the one or more sensing devices 16. Thus,a welding operator may rotate the knob 101 to manually adjust the angleof the one or more sensing devices 16. As may be appreciated, thecombination of the cord 230 and the pulley 232 is one example of asystem for rotating the one or more sensing devices 16. It should benoted that any suitable system may be used to facilitate rotation of theone or more sensing devices 16. While one embodiment of a knob 101 isillustrated, it may be appreciated that any suitable knob may be used toadjust the angle of the one or more sensing devices 16. Furthermore, theangle of the one or more sensing devices 16 may be adjusted using amotor 234 coupled to the cord 230. Accordingly, a welding operator mayoperate the motor 234 to adjust the angle of the one or more sensingdevices 16. Moreover, in certain embodiments, control circuitry may becoupled to the motor 234 and may control the angle of the one or moresensing devices 16 based on a desired field of view of the one or moresensing devices 16 and/or based on tracking of an object within thefield of view of the one or more sensing devices 16.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an overhead welding armassembly 235. The overhead welding arm assembly 235 illustrates oneembodiment of a manufacturing design that enables the second arm 106 tohave an adjustable height. Accordingly, as may be appreciated, thesecond arm 106 may be manufactured to have an adjustable height in anumber of ways. As illustrated, the overhead welding arm assembly 235includes handles 236 used to vertically raise and/or lower the secondarm 106 as illustrated by arrows 238. The overhead welding arm assembly235 includes a locking device 240 to lock the second arm 106 at adesired height. For example, the locking device 240 may include a buttonthat is pressed to disengage a latch configured to extend into openings242, thus unlocking the second arm 106 from being secured to side rails243. With the second arm 106 unlocked from the side rails 243, thehandles 236 may be vertically adjusted to a desired height, therebyadjusting the welding surface 112 to a desired height. As may beappreciated, releasing the button may result in the latch extending intothe openings 242 and locking the second arm 106 to the side rails 243.As may be appreciated, the locking device 240 may operate manually asdescribed and/or the locking device 240 may be controlled by a controlsystem (e.g., automatically controlled). Furthermore, the second arm 106may be vertically raised and/or lowered using the control system. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the welding software may control thesecond arm 106 to move to a desired position automatically. Thus, thewelding surface 112 may be adjusted to a desired height for overheadwelding.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an embodiment of welding software 244(e.g., welding training software) of the welding system 10 havingmultiple modes. As illustrated, the welding software 244 may include oneor more of a live-arc mode 246 configured to enable training using alive (e.g., actual) welding arc, a simulation welding mode 248configured to enable training using a welding simulation, a virtualreality (VR) welding mode 250 configured to enable training using a VRwelding simulation, and/or an augmented reality welding mode 252configured to enable training using augmented reality weldingsimulation.

The welding software 244 may receive signals from an audio input 254.The audio input 254 may be configured to enable a welding operator tooperate the welding software 244 using audible commands (e.g., voiceactivation). Furthermore, the welding software 244 may be configured toprovide an audio output 256 and/or a video output 258. For example, thewelding software 244 may provide audible information to a weldingoperator using the audio output 256. Such audible information mayinclude instructions for configuring (e.g., setting up) the weldingsystem 10, real-time feedback provided to a welding operator during awelding operation, instructions to a welding operator before performinga welding operation, instructions to a welding operator after performinga welding operation, warnings, and so forth.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the VR welding mode 250 ofthe welding software 244. The VR welding mode 250 is configured toprovide a welding operator with a VR simulation 260. The VR simulation260 may be displayed to a welding operator through a VR headset, VRglasses, a VR display, or any suitable VR device. In some embodiments,the display 32 of the helmet 41 of the welding system 10 may facilitatethe VR simulation 260. The VR simulation 260 may be configured toinclude a variety of virtual objects that enable interaction between awelding operator and a selected virtual object of the variety of virtualobjects within the VR simulation 260. For example, virtual objects mayinclude a virtual workpiece 262, a virtual welding stand 264, a virtualwelding tool 266, virtual wire cutters 268, virtual softwareconfiguration 270, virtual training data results 272, and/or a virtualglove 274.

In certain embodiments, the welding operator may interact with thevirtual objects without touching a physical object. For example, the oneor more sensing devices 16 may detect movement of the welding operatorand may result in similar movements occurring in the VR simulation 260based on the welder operator's movements in the real world. In otherembodiments, the welding operator may use a glove or the welding tool 14to interact with the virtual objects. For example, the glove or thewelding tool 14 may be detected by the sensing device 16, and/or theglove or the welding tool 14 may correspond to a virtual object in theVR simulation 260. Furthermore, the welding operator may be able tooperate the welding software 244 within the VR simulation 260 using thevirtual software configuration 270 and/or the virtual training dataresults 272. For example, the welding operator may use their hand, theglove, or the welding tool 14 to select items within the weldingsoftware 244 that are displayed virtually within the VR simulation 260.Moreover, the welding operator may perform other actions such as pickingup wire cutters and cutting virtual welding wire extending from thevirtual welding tool 266, all within the VR simulation 260.

FIG. 10 is an embodiment of a method 276 for integrating trainingresults data, non-training results data, simulation results data, and soforth. The method 276 includes the welding software 244 of the computer18 receiving a first set of welding data from a storage device (e.g.,storage device 24) (block 278). The first set of welding data mayinclude welding data corresponding to a first welding session (e.g.,welding assignment). The method 276 also includes the welding software244 receiving a second set of welding data from the storage device(block 280). In certain embodiments, the first set and/or second set ofwelding data may be received from a network storage device. The networkstorage device may be configured to receive welding data from and/or toprovide welding data to the welding system 10 and/or the externalwelding system 40. The welding software 244 may integrate the first andsecond sets of welding data into a chart to enable a visual comparisonof the first set of welding data with the second set of welding data(block 282). As may be appreciated, the chart may be a bar chart, a piechart, a line chart, a histogram, and so forth. In certain embodiments,integrating the first set of welding data with the second set of weldingdata includes filtering the first set of welding data and the second setof welding data to display a subset of the first set of welding data anda subset of the second set of welding data. The welding software 244 mayprovide the chart to a display device (e.g., the display 32) (block284). In certain embodiments, providing the chart to the display deviceincludes providing selectable elements on the chart that when selecteddisplay data corresponding to a respective selected element of theselectable elements (e.g., selecting wire speed from the chart maychange the screen to display the wire speed history for a particularwelding session (e.g., welding assignment)).

The first set of welding data and/or the second set of welding data mayinclude a welding tool orientation, a welding tool travel speed, awelding tool position, a contact tip to workpiece distance, an aim ofthe welding tool, a welding score, a welding grade, and so forth.Moreover, the first set of welding data and the second set of weldingdata may correspond to training performed by one welding operator and/orby a class of welding operators. Furthermore, the first welding session(e.g., welding assignment) and the second welding session (e.g., weldingassignment) may correspond to training performed by one welding operatorand/or by a class of welding operators. In certain embodiments, thefirst welding assignment may correspond to training performed by a firstwelding operator, and the second welding assignment may correspond towelding performed by a second welding operator. Moreover, the firstassignment and the second assignment may correspond to the same weldingscenario. Additionally, or in the alternative, the first set of weldingdata and the second set of welding data may correspond to weldingsessions (e.g., welding assignments) performed by one welding operatorand/or a class of welding operators outside of a training environment(e.g., production floor).

FIG. 11 is an embodiment of a chart 285 illustrating multiple sets ofwelding data for a welding operator. The chart 285 may be produced bythe welding software 244 and may be provided to the display 32 to beused by a welding instructor to review welding operations performed by awelding student, and/or may be provided to the display 32 to be used bya welding student to review welding operations performed by that weldingstudent. The chart 285 illustrates a bar graph comparison betweendifferent sessions (e.g., assignments) of a first set of weldingassignments performed by a welding operator. The first set of weldingsessions (e.g., welding assignments) includes sessions (e.g.,assignments) 286, 288, 290, 292, and 294. The chart 285 also illustratesa bar graph comparison between different assignments of a second set ofwelding sessions (e.g., welding assignments) performed by the weldingoperator. The second set of welding sessions (e.g., welding assignments)includes sessions (e.g., assignments) 296, 298, 300, 302, and 304.Accordingly, welding sessions (e.g., welding assignments) may becompared to one another for analysis, instruction, certification, and/ortraining purposes. As illustrated, the welding sessions (e.g., weldingassignments) may be compared to one another using one of any number ofcriteria, such as a total score, a work angle, a travel angle, a travelspeed, a contact to work distance, an aim, a mode (e.g., live-arc mode,simulation mode, etc.), a completion status (e.g., complete, incomplete,partially complete, etc.), a joint type (e.g., fillet, butt, T, lap,etc.), a welding position (e.g., flat, vertical, overhead, etc.), a typeof metal used, a type of filler metal, and so forth.

The welding software 244 may associate an operator with welding data(e.g., arc parameters, welding parameters) acquired during a weldingsession (e.g., live arc welding assignment, simulated weldingassignment, and so forth). For example, the welding software 244 mayidentify the welding operator by an operator name 291, an operatorregistration number 293, an operator photograph 295, and so forth. Forexample, the operator identification system 43 discussed above with FIG.1 may be utilized to determine the operator registration number 293.That is, each operator registration number 293 may correspond to theoperator name 291 and a set of identification information (e.g.,resettable information 45, biometric information 47, token 49). In someembodiments, the registration number 293 may be reset or reassigned toanother operator after a period (e.g., 1, 3, 5, 10, or more years) ofinactivity associated with the registration number 293. The registrationnumber 293 may be unique for each operator. In some embodiments, theregistration number 293 may be retained by the operator for an extendedperiod of time (e.g., career, life) regardless of activity levelassociated with the registration number 293. That is, the registrationnumber 293 may be a permanent identifier associated with each operatoracross one welding system 10 or a network of welding systems 10 coupledvia the network 38. Welding data associated with the registration number293 may be maintained locally or within one or more data storagesystems, such as a cloud storage system or database of the network 38coupled to the welding system 10. The data storage system 318 (e.g.,cloud storage system) of the network 38 may be maintained by themanufacturer or another party, thereby enabling the welding dataassociated with a certain registration number 293 to be retainedindependent of an employment status of the operator with the certainregistration number 293. For example, the operator registration number293 and the data storage system (e.g., cloud storage system) mayfacilitate the retention of welding data associated with the operatorfrom weld processes performed during training, during a simulation,during a first employment, during a second employment, during personaltime, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, welding datastored within the memory device(s) 22 or the storage device(s) 24 of thecomputer 18 of the welding system 10 for a particular welding operator(e.g., operator registration number 293) may be selectively orautomatically synchronized with the data storage system (e.g., cloudstorage system).

Weld history data, such as the data of the chart 285, is associated witheach registration number 293. In some embodiments, the weld history datais automatically acquired and stored in the data storage system (e.g.,cloud storage system) by the welding software 244 of the welding system10. Additionally, or in the alternative, weld history data may be loadeddirectly to the data storage system (e.g., cloud storage system) of thenetwork 38 via a remote computer 44. The welding software 244 mayfacilitate access to the welding history data via a welding historycontrol 297. Additionally, the welding software 244 may enable theoperator to associate personal information with the registration number293 via a personal user control 299. The operator associated with theregistration number 293 may input one or more organizations (e.g.,training center, school, employer, trade organization) with which theoperator is affiliated, experience, certifications for various weldingprocesses and/or welding positions, a resume, or any combinationthereof. Furthermore, the registration number 293 may remain associatedwith the operator despite changes in affiliated organizations,experience, certifications, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 12 is an embodiment of a chart 305 illustrating welding data for awelder compared to welding data for a class. For example, the chart 305illustrates a score 306 of a welding operator compared to a score 308(e.g., average, median, or some other score) of a class for a firstassignment. Furthermore, a score 310 of the welding operator is comparedto a score 312 (e.g., average, median, or some other score) of the classfor a second assignment. Moreover, a score 314 of the welding operatoris compared to a score 316 (e.g., average, median, or some other score)of the class for a third assignment. As may be appreciated, scores fromone or more welding operators may be compared to scores of the entireclass. Such a comparison enables a welding instructor to assess theprogress of individual welding students as compared to the class ofwelding students. Furthermore, scores from one or more welding operatorsmay be compared to scores of one or more other welding operators. Incertain embodiments, scores from one class may be compared to scores ofanother class. Moreover, scores from the first assignment, the secondassignment, and/or the third assignment may be selected for comparison.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a data storage system 318(e.g., cloud storage system) for storing welding data 327, such ascertification status data 326. The data storage system 318 may include,but is not limited to, the computer 18 of the welding system 10, aremote computer 44 (e.g., server) coupled to the welding system 10 viathe internet or a network 38, or any combination thereof. Thecertification status data may be produced as a welding operatorcompletes various assignments in the welding system 10. For example, apredetermined set of assignments may certify a welding operator for aparticular welding device and/or welding process. The data storagesystem 318 (e.g., cloud storage system) includes control circuitry 320,one or more memory devices 322, and one or more storage devices 324. Thecontrol circuitry 320 may include one or more processors, which may besimilar to the processor(s) 20. Furthermore, the memory device(s) 322may be similar to the memory device(s) 22, and the storage device(s) 324may be similar to the storage device(s) 24. The memory device(s) 322and/or the storage device(s) 324 may be configured to storecertification status data 326 corresponding to a welding certification(e.g., welding training certification) of a welding operator.

The welding data 327 may include any data acquired by the welding system10 associated with the registration number 293 of the welding operator(e.g., any data that is related to the assignments to certify thewelding operator, training welding data, simulated welding data, virtualreality welding data, live welding data), any data related to an actualcertification (e.g., certified, not certified, qualified, not qualified,etc.), a quantity of one or more welds performed by the weldingoperator, a timestamp for one or more welds performed by the weldingoperator, a location and/or facility that the welding operator performsthe one or more welds, the components of the welding system utilized bythe welding operator for the one or more welds, the organization withwhich the welding operator is affiliated, the organization for whom thewelding operator is performing the one or more welds, welding parameterdata for one or more welds performed by the welding operator, a qualityranking of the welding operator, a quality level of the weldingoperator, a history of welds performed by the welding operator, ahistory of production welds performed by the welding operator, a firstwelding process (e.g., a metal inert gas (MIG) welding process, atungsten inert gas (TIG) welding process, a stick welding process, etc.)certification status (e.g., the welding operator is certified for thefirst welding process, the welding operator is not certified for thefirst welding process), a second welding process certification status(e.g., the welding operator is certified for the second welding process,the welding operator is not certified for the second welding process), afirst welding device (e.g., a wire feeder, a power supply, a modelnumber, etc.) certification status (e.g., the welding operator iscertified for the first welding device, the welding operator is notcertified for the first welding device), and/or a second welding devicecertification status (e.g., the welding operator is certified for thesecond welding device, the welding operator is not certified for thesecond welding device).

The control circuitry 320 may be configured to receive a request for thefirst welding process certification status, the second welding processcertification status, the first welding device certification status,and/or the second welding device certification status of the weldingoperator. Furthermore, the control circuitry 320 may be configured toprovide a response to the request. The response to the request mayinclude the first welding process certification status, the secondwelding process certification status, the first welding devicecertification status, and/or the second welding device certificationstatus of the welding operator. In certain embodiments, the weldingoperator may be authorized to use a first welding process, a secondwelding process, a first welding device, and/or a second welding devicebased at least partly on the response. Furthermore, in some embodiments,the first welding process, the second welding process, the first weldingdevice, and/or the second welding device of a welding system may beenabled or disabled based at least partly on the response. Moreover, incertain embodiments, the first welding process, the second weldingprocess, the first welding device, and/or the second welding device of awelding system may be enabled or disabled automatically. Thus, a weldingoperator's certification data may be used to enable and/or disable thatwelding operator's ability to use a particular welding system, weldingdevice, and/or welding process. For example, a welding operator may havea certification for a first welding process, but not for a secondwelding process. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, a welding operatormay verify their identity at a welding system (e.g., by logging in, byutilizing the operator identification system 43, providing theregistration number 293, or some other form of authentication). Afterthe identity of the welding operator is verified, the welding system maycheck the welding operator's certification status. The welding systemmay enable the welding operator to perform operations using the firstwelding process based on the welding operator's certification status,but may block the welding operator from performing the second weldingprocess based on the welding operator's certification status.

The storage device 324 of the data storage system 318 (e.g., cloudstorage system) may have welding data 327 of multiple operators. Thedata storage system 318 may be a database that retains welding data 327associated with registration numbers 293 to enable analysis and trackingof the weld history of the operator over extended durations (e.g.,career, lifetime), even across one or more organizations. As may beappreciated, the data storage system 318 (e.g., cloud storage system)may facilitate aggregation of certification status data 326 and/orwelding data 327 to identify usage trends, anticipate supply ormaintenance issues, and so forth. Moreover, coupling the data storagesystem 318 to the internet or other network 38 enables instructors ormanagers to monitor and analyze weld data remote from the operator andthe welding system 10.

FIG. 14 is an embodiment of a screen illustrating data corresponding toa weld by an operator identified on the screen by the registrationnumber 293. In some embodiments, each weld session (e.g., weld test,assignment) performed by an operator and monitored by the welding system10 is assigned a unique serial number 329. The serial number 329 may beassociated with the registration number 293 within one or more localand/or remote data storage systems, such as a cloud storage system ordatabase of the network 38 coupled to the welding system 10. The serialnumber 329 may be used to associate the physical weld sample with thecaptured weld test results. The format of the serial number 329 mayinclude, but is not limited to a decimal number, a hexadecimal number,or a character string. Moreover, the serial numbers 329 for the sameassignment may be different for each operator. In some embodiments, theserial number 329 is affixed to the workpiece 82. For example, theserial number 329 may attached to, stamped, etched, engraved, embossed,or printed on the workpiece 82. In some embodiments, the serial number329 is encoded as a barcode affixed to the workpiece 82. Additionally,or in the alternative, the operator may write the serial number 329 onthe workpiece 82.

As discussed below, a search feature enables an instructor to enter theserial number 329 to recall the test results for the associated weldsession (e.g., weld test, assignment) without the instructor needing toknow the user (e.g., registration number 293), the assignment, or anyother details about the weld. Accordingly, the instructor may review thedata corresponding to each serial number 329, then provide feedback tothe respective operator. Furthermore, an inspector or technician mayreview the serial number 329 of a workpiece 82 to aid in a qualityreview of the performed weld relative to welding procedurespecifications (WPS) and/or to determine a maintenance schedule relatedto the workpiece 82. That is, the serial number 329 may be utilized totrack the workpiece 82, the welding data, the arc data, and the operator(e.g., registration number 293) through a life of the respectiveworkpiece 82. In some embodiments, the serial number 329 may be storedwithin one or more local and/or remote data storage systems, such as acloud storage system or database of the network 38 coupled to thewelding system 10. The screen may be produced by the welding software244 and may be displayed on the display 32. The screen illustratesparameters that may be graphically displayed to a welding operatorbefore, during, and/or after performing a welding operation. Forexample, the parameters may include a work angle 328, a travel angle330, a contact tip to workpiece distance 332, a welding tool travelspeed 334, an aim of the welding tool in relation to the joint of theworkpiece 336, a welding voltage 337, a welding current 338, a weldingtool orientation, a welding tool position, and so forth.

As illustrated, graphically illustrated parameters may include anindication 339 of a current value of a parameter (e.g., while performinga welding session). Furthermore, a graph 340 may show a history of thevalue of the parameter, and a score 341 may show an overall percentagethat corresponds to how much time during the welding session that thewelding operator was within a range of acceptable values. In certainembodiments, a video replay 342 of a welding session may be provided onthe screen. The video replay 342 may show live video of a weldingoperator performing a real weld, live video of the welding operatorperforming a simulated weld, live video of the welding operatorperforming a virtual reality weld, live video of the welding operatorperforming an augmented reality weld, live video of a welding arc, livevideo of a weld puddle, and/or simulated video of a welding operation.

In certain embodiments, the welding system 10 may capture video dataduring a welding session (e.g., welding assignment), and store the videodata on the storage device 24 and/or the data storage system 318 (e.g.,cloud storage system) via the network 38. Moreover, the welding software244 may be configured to retrieve the video data from the storage device24 or the data storage system 318, to retrieve welding parameter datafrom the storage device 24 or the data storage system 318, tosynchronize the video data with the welding parameter data, and toprovide the synchronized video and welding parameter data to the display32.

In some embodiments, the welding system 10 may receive test data frompreviously performed welds. Test results 343 based at least in part onthe test data may be displayed on the screen. Test data may includeproperties of the performed welding session (e.g., welding assignment),such as strength, porosity, penetration, hardness, heat affected zonesize, appearance, and contamination, or any combination thereof. Thetest data may be obtained via destructive or non-destructive testingperformed after completion of the welding session. For example, strengthof a weld may be determined via a destructive test, whereas the porosityand penetration may be obtained via non-destructive testing, such asx-ray or ultrasonic inspection.

In some embodiments, the welding system 10 may determine the test data(e.g., properties of the welding assignment) based at least in part onwelding parameter data. Additionally, or in the alternative, the weldingsystem 10 may utilize arc parameter data to determine the test data. Thetest data (e.g., properties of the welding assignment) may be associatedwith the welding parameter data and any arc parameter data, such thatthe test data, welding parameter data, and arc parameter datacorresponding to the same welding session (e.g., welding assignment) arestored together. Where the welding session (e.g., welding assignment) isa live welding assignment, the arc parameters (e.g., weld voltage, weldcurrent, wire feed speed) may include measured arc parameters and/or setarc parameters. Where the welding session is a simulated, virtualreality, or augmented reality welding assignment, the arc parameters mayinclude simulated arc parameters. In some embodiments, the arcparameters associated with non-live welding sessions (e.g., simulated,virtual reality, augmented reality) may include a null set stored in thedata storage.

In some embodiments, the determined properties of the welding session(e.g., welding assignment) are based at least in part on a comparisonwith welding data (e.g., welding parameters, arc parameters)corresponding to previously performed welding sessions. The welding datacorresponding to previously performed welding sessions may be stored inthe data storage system 318. The welding system 10 may determine (e.g.,estimate, extrapolate) properties of a simulated welding assignment, avirtual reality welding assignment, or an augmented reality weldingassignment through comparison with welding data (e.g., weldingparameters, arc parameters) and associated test data corresponding topreviously performed live welding session (e.g., live weldingassignments). For example, the welding system 10 may determine thepenetration of a virtual reality welding assignment through comparisonof the welding parameters (e.g., contact tip to work distance, travelspeed) of the virtual reality welding assignment to the weldingparameters associated with previously performed live weldingassignments. Accordingly, the welding system 10 may facilitate trainingan operator through providing determined one or more properties of thewelding assignment despite the welding assignment (e.g., simulated,virtual reality, augmented reality) being performed without a tangibleworkpiece produced to test.

The computer 18 of the welding system 10 may determine one or moreproperties of the welding session (e.g., welding assignment) viaexecuting processor-executable instructions to compare the receivedwelding data with welding data corresponding to previously performedwelding sessions. In some embodiments, the one or more properties of thewelding session are determined remotely from the welding system 10, suchas on a remote computer 44 or data storage system 318 coupled to thewelding system 10 via the network 38. Additionally, or in thealternative, the one or more determined properties may be transmitted tothe data storage system 318, such as via the network 38. In someembodiments, the computer 18 may determine properties of the weldingsession (e.g., welding assignment) while receiving the welding dataassociated with the welding session. That is, the computer 18 maydetermine properties (e.g., penetration, porosity, strength, appearance)substantially in real-time while the operator is performing the weldingsession. The determined properties may be displayed via the display 32as test results. As may be appreciated, the determined properties may beadjusted upon obtaining results from testing (e.g., destructive testing,non-destructive testing) of the welding session (e.g., weldingassignment).

The welding software 244 may analyze welding parameter data to determinea traversed path 344 that may be shown on the display 32. In someembodiments, a time during a weld may be selected by a welding operator,as shown by an indicator 346. By adjusting the selected time indicator346, the welding operator may view the video replay 342 and/or thetraversed path 344 in conjunction with the welding parameters as theywere at the selected time in order to establish a correlation betweenthe welding parameters, the video replay 342, and/or the traversed path344. Additionally, or in the alternative, the welding operator mayselect (e.g., via a cursor on the display 32) a location of thetraversed path 344 displayed to review the welding data 327corresponding to the one or more times the welding tool 14 traversed theselected location. Moreover, the video replay 342 may show frames ofvideo (e.g., captured images, pictures) corresponding to the selectedtime 346 and/or selected location. As may be appreciated, a selectedlocation may correspond to multiple frames or captured images when thewelding operator utilized a weaving or whipping technique and/or whenthe welding session includes multiple passes. Accordingly, the display32 may show the multiple frames (e.g., captured images, pictures), andthe welding operator may select one or more for additional review. Insome embodiments, the test results 343 (e.g., one or more determinedproperties of the welding assignment) displayed may correspond to theselected time shown by the indicator 346 and/or to one or more locationsalong the traversed path 344. That is, the test results 343 may displaytested characteristics (e.g., porosity, penetration) of the weldcorresponding to the selected time indicator 346 and/or the selectedlocation along the traversed path 344. The welding software 244 may beconfigured to recreate welding data based at least partly on weldingparameter data, to synchronize the video replay 342 with the recreatedwelding data, and to provide the synchronized video replay 342 andrecreated welding data to the display 32. In certain embodiments, therecreated welding data may be weld puddle data and/or a simulated weld.In some embodiments, the welding software 244 may correlate variousaspects (e.g., determined properties, video, non-destructive testresults, destructive test results) of the weld data acquired forpositions along the traversed path 344 of the weld and/or for selectedtimes during the weld process. The welding software 244 may facilitatecorrelation of the welding parameters (e.g., work angle 328, travelangle 330, CTWD 332, travel speed 334, and aim 336 of the welding toolin relation to the joint of the workpiece, a welding tool orientation, awelding tool position) with arc parameters (e.g., voltage 337, current338, wire feed speed), the video replay 342, and test results 343, orany combination thereof. The weld data associated with the registrationnumber 293 for an operator may enable the operator, the instructor, or amanager, to review the welding parameters, the arc parameters, the videoreplay 342, and the test results 343 (e.g., determined properties)corresponding to the selected time indicator 346 and/or position alongthe traversed path 344 of the weld process. For example, the operatormay review the weld data to identify relationships between changes inthe welding parameters (e.g., work angle 328, CTWD 332) and changes tothe arc parameters (e.g., current, voltage) at the selected time shownby the indicator 346 or a selected position. Moreover, the operator mayreview the weld data to identify relationships between changes in thewelding parameters and changes to the test results 343 of the weld.

In some embodiments, the welding tool 14 (e.g., MIG welding torch, stickwelding electrode holder, TIG welding torch) may be utilized as apointer, where pointing the welding tool 14 at a specific location ofthe weld displays weld data 327 on the display 32 corresponding to thespecific location. In some embodiments, the welding tool 14 may contactthe workpiece 82 at the specific location. Moreover, the weldingsoftware 244 may determine the specific location from the operator basedon the point along the weld that is nearest to where the operator ispointing the welding tool 14 (e.g., electrode). The welding software 244may produce a location bar 346 (e.g., indicator) to be displayed alongthe weld data 327 when the welding tool 14 is pointed at locations alongthe weld upon completion of the session. That is, the location bar mayextend across the graphs of the welding parameters (e.g., work angle328, travel angle 330, CTWD 332, travel speed 334, and aim 336 of thewelding tool in relation to the joint of workpiece) in a similar manneras the selected time line 346 described above. The welding software 244may be configured to display the video replay 342 (e.g., one or morevideo frames, captured images) that was captured when the welding tool14 was at the specific location. For example, the welding software 244may display between 0 to 30 frames before and/or after when the weldingtool 14 was at the specific location. Additionally, or in thealternative, the welding software 244 may display a cross-sectional viewof the weld at the specific location. The cross-sectional view may bebased on one or more sets of data including, but not limited to, anx-ray scan, an ultrasonic scan, a generated model based at least in parton the welding data 327, or any combination thereof. Moreover, thecross-sectional view may enable the welding operator or an instructor toreview various quality characteristics of the weld at the specificlocation, including, but not limited to, porosity, undercut, spatter,underfill, and overfill. While the welding tool 14 may be readily usedto point to and select specific locations of the weld before theworkpiece 82 is moved upon completion of the session, the welding tool14 may be used as a pointer for previously completed sessions with movedworkpieces 82 upon recalibration of respective workpieces 82.

In certain embodiments, the storage device 24 may be configured to storea first data set corresponding to multiple welds performed by a weldingoperator, and to store a second data set corresponding to multiplenon-training welds performed by the welding operator. Furthermore, thecontrol circuitry 320 may be configured to retrieve at least part of thefirst data set from the storage device 24, to retrieve at least part ofthe second data set from the storage device 24, to synchronize the atleast part of the first data set with the at least part of the seconddata set, and to provide the synchronized at least part of the firstdata set and at least part of the second data set to the display 32.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a welding instructorscreen 368 of the welding software 244. The welding software 244 isconfigured to provide training simulations for many different weldingconfigurations. For example, the welding configurations may include aMIG welding process 370, a TIG welding process 372, a stick weldingprocess 374, the live-arc welding mode 346, the simulation welding mode248, the virtual reality welding mode 250, and/or the augmented realitywelding mode 252.

The welding instructor screen 368 may be configured to enable a weldinginstructor to restrict training of a welding operator 376 (e.g., to oneor more selected welding configurations), to restrict training of aclass of welding operators 378 (e.g., to one or more selected weldingconfigurations), and/or to restrict training of a portion of a class ofwelding operators 380 (e.g., to one or more selected weldingconfigurations). Moreover, the welding instructor screen 368 may beconfigured to enable the welding instructor to assign selected trainingassignments to the welding operator 382, to assign selected trainingassignments to a class of welding operators 384, and/or to assignselected training assignments to a portion of a class of weldingoperators 386. Furthermore, the welding instructor screen 368 may beconfigured to enable the welding instructor to automatically advance thewelding operator (or a class of welding operators) from a firstassignment to a second assignment 388. For example, the welding operatormay advance from a first assignment to a second assignment based atleast partly on a quality of performing the first assignment. Moreover,the welding instructor screen 368 may be configured to verify theidentity of an operator (e.g., to ensure welding data is associated withthe proper registration number 293). In some embodiments, the operatoridentification system 43 identifies the operator, and the instructorverifies the identity of the operator via the welding instructor screen368. For example, the instructor may provide a verification input (e.g.,resettable identifier, biometric identifier, physical identifier) to theoperator identification system 43 to authorize that the identity of theoperator is properly recognized by the operator identification system43. In some embodiments, the instructor (e.g., second operator) providesa second identifier input (e.g., resettable identifier, biometricidentifier, token) to the welding system 10, such as via the operatoridentification system 43, thereby verifying the identity of the operatorthat provided a first identifier input to the operator identificationsystem 43. The second identifier input may be stored with the weldingdata (e.g., identity of operator performing the welding session), suchas in the memory device 56 of the computer 18 or the data storage system318). Additionally, or in the alternative, the welding instructor mayverify the identity of an operator via a two-step identification processin which the operator identification system 43 separately identifiesboth the operator and the instructor prior to ensure that welding datais associated with the proper registration number 293.

FIG. 16 is an embodiment of a method 389 for weld training usingaugmented reality. A welding operator may select a mode of the weldingsoftware 244 (block 390). The welding software 244 determines whetherthe augmented reality mode 252 has been selected (block 392). If theaugmented reality mode 252 has been selected, the welding software 244executes an augmented reality simulation. It should be noted that thewelding operator may be wearing a welding helmet and/or some otherheadgear configured to position a display device in front of the weldingoperator's view. Furthermore, the display device may generally betransparent to enable the welding operator to view actual objects;however, a virtual welding environment may be portrayed on portions ofthe display device. As part of this augmented reality simulation, thewelding software 244 receives a position and/or an orientation of thewelding tool 14, such as from the sensing device 16 (block 394). Thewelding software 244 integrates the virtual welding environment with theposition and/or the orientation of the welding tool 14 (block 396).Moreover, the welding software 244 provides the integrated virtualwelding environment to the display device (block 398). For example, thewelding software 244 may determine where a weld bead should bepositioned within the welding operator's field of view, and the weldingsoftware 244 may display the weld bead on the display device such thatthe weld bead appears to be on a workpiece. After completion of theweld, the augmented reality simulation may enable the welding operatorto erase a portion of the virtual welding environment (e.g., the weldbead) (block 400), and the welding software 244 returns to block 390.

If the augmented realty mode 252 has not been selected, the weldingsoftware 244 determines whether the live-arc mode 246 has been selected(block 402). If the live-arc mode 246 has been selected, the weldingsoftware 244 enters the live-arc mode 246 and the welding operator mayperform the live-arc weld (block 404). If the live-arc mode 246 has notbeen selected and/or after executing block 404, the welding software 244returns to block 390. Accordingly, the welding software 244 isconfigured to enable a welding operator to practice a weld in theaugmented reality welding mode 252, to erase at least a portion of thevirtual welding environment from the practice weld, and to perform alive weld in the live-arc mode 246. In certain embodiments, the weldingoperator may practice the weld in the augmented reality welding mode 252consecutively a multiple number of times.

FIG. 17 is an embodiment of another method 406 for weld training usingaugmented reality. A welding operator may select a mode of the weldingsoftware 244 (block 408). The welding software 244 determines whetherthe augmented reality mode 252 has been selected (block 410). If theaugmented reality mode 252 has been selected, the welding software 244executes an augmented reality simulation. It should be noted that thewelding operator may be wearing a welding helmet and/or some otherheadgear configured to position a display device in front of the weldingoperator's view. Furthermore, the display device may completely blockthe welding operator's field of vision such that images observed by thewelding operator have been captured by a camera and displayed on thedisplay device. As part of this augmented reality simulation, thewelding software 244 receives an image of the welding tool 14, such asfrom the sensing device 16 (block 412). The welding software 244integrates the virtual welding environment with the image of the weldingtool 14 (block 414). Moreover, the welding software 244 provides theintegrated virtual welding environment with the image of the weldingtool 14 to the display device (block 416). For example, the weldingsoftware 244 may determine where a weld bead should be positioned withinthe welding operator's field of view and the welding software 244displays the weld bead on the display device with the image of thewelding tool 14 and other objects in the welding environment. Aftercompletion of the weld, the augmented reality simulation may enable thewelding operator to erase a portion of the virtual welding environment(e.g., the weld bead) (block 418), and the welding software 244 returnsto block 408.

If the augmented realty mode 252 has not been selected, the weldingsoftware 244 determines whether the live-arc mode 246 has been selected(block 420). If the live-arc mode 246 has been selected, the weldingsoftware 244 enters the live-arc mode 246 and the welding operator mayperform the live-arc weld (block 422). If the live-arc mode 246 has notbeen selected and/or after executing block 422, the welding software 244returns to block 408. Accordingly, the welding software 244 isconfigured to enable a welding operator to practice a weld in theaugmented reality welding mode 252, to erase at least a portion of thevirtual welding environment from the practice weld, and to perform alive weld in the live-arc mode 246. In certain embodiments, the weldingoperator may practice the weld in the augmented reality welding mode 252consecutively a multiple number of times.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the welding tool 14. Thewelding tool 14 includes the control circuitry 52, the user interface60, and the display 62 described previously. Furthermore, the weldingtool 14 includes a variety of sensors and other devices. The weldingtool 14 may include a temperature sensor 424 (e.g., thermocouple,thermistor, etc.), a motion sensor 426 (e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope,magnetometer, etc.), a vibration device 428 (e.g., vibration motor), amicrophone 429, one or more visual indicators 61 (e.g., LEDs 64), or anycombination thereof. In addition, in certain embodiments, the weldingtool 14 may include a voltage sensor 425 and/or a current sensor 427 tosense voltage and/or current, respectively, of the arc produced by thewelding tool 14. As discussed in detail below, one or more sets of LEDs64 may be arranged about the welding tool 14 to enable the one or moresensing devices 16 to detect the position and orientation of the weldingtool 14 relative to the welding stand 12 and the workpiece 82. Forexample, sets of LEDs 64 may be arranged on a top side, a left side, anda right side of the welding tool 14 to enable the one or more sensingdevices 16 to detect the position and orientation of the welding tool 14regardless of which side of the welding tool 14 is facing the one ormore sensing devices 16. In certain embodiments, the welding tool 14 mayinclude more than one temperature sensor 424, motion sensor 426,vibration device 428, voltage sensor 425, current sensor 427, and/ormicrophone 429.

During operation, the welding tool 14 may be configured to use thetemperature sensor 424 to detect a temperature associated with thewelding tool 14 (e.g., a temperature of electronic components of thewelding tool 14, a temperature of the display 62, a temperature of alight-emitting device, a temperature of the vibration device, atemperature of a body portion of the welding tool 14, etc.). The controlcircuitry 52 (or control circuitry of another device) may use thedetected temperature to perform various events. For example, the controlcircuitry 52 may be configured to disable use of the live-arc mode 246(e.g., live welding) by the welding tool 14 if the detected temperaturereaches and/or surpasses a predetermined threshold (e.g., such as 85°C.). Moreover, the control circuitry 52 may also be configured todisable various heat producing devices of the welding tool 14, such asthe vibration device 428, light-emitting devices, and so forth. Thecontrol circuitry 52 may also be configured to show a message on thedisplay 62, such as “Waiting for tool to cool down. Sorry for theinconvenience.” In certain embodiments, the control circuitry 52 may beconfigured to disable certain components or features if the detectedtemperature reaches a first threshold and to disable additionalcomponents or features if the detected temperature reaches a secondthreshold.

Moreover, during operation, the welding tool 14 may be configured to usethe motion sensor 426 to detect a motion (e.g., acceleration, etc.)associated with the welding tool 14. The control circuitry 52 (orcontrol circuitry of another device) may use the detected accelerationto perform various events. For example, the control circuitry 52 may beconfigured to activate the display 62 (or another display) after themotion sensor 426 detects that the welding tool 14 has been moved.Accordingly, the control circuitry 52 may direct the display 62 to “wakeup,” such as from a sleep mode and/or to exit a screen saver mode tofacilitate a welding operator of the welding tool 14 using a graphicaluser interface (GUI) on the display 62. Furthermore, the controlcircuitry 52 may utilize feedback from the one or more motion sensors426 to determine the position of the welding tool 14 in the weldingenvironment and/or the movement of the welding tool 14 within thewelding environment. As discussed in detail below, the sensing devices16 (e.g., cameras) may utilize markers on the welding tool 14 todetermine the position, orientation, and/or movement of the welding tool14 in the welding environment. In some embodiments, the controlcircuitry 52 (or control circuitry of another device) may utilize thefeedback from the one or more motion sensors 426 to augment thedetermination with the sensing devices 16 of the position, orientation,and/or movement of the welding tool 14. That is, the control circuitry52 may determine the position and orientation of the welding tool 14based on the feedback from the one or more motion sensors 426 when theworkpiece 82 or the operator obscures (e.g., blocks) one or more markersof the welding tool 14 from the view of the sensing device 16.

In certain embodiments, the control circuitry 52 may be configured todetermine that a high impact event (e.g., dropped, used as a hammer,etc.) to the welding tool 14 has occurred based at least partly on thedetected motion. Upon determining that a high impact event has occurred,the control circuitry 52 may store (e.g., log) an indication that thewelding tool 14 has been impacted. Along with the indication, thecontrol circuitry 52 may store other corresponding data, such as a date,a time of day, an acceleration, a user name, welding tool identificationdata, and so forth. The control circuitry 52 may also be configured toshow a notice on the display 62 to a welding operator requesting thatthe operator refrain from impacting the welding tool 14. In someembodiments, the control circuitry 52 may be configured to use themotion detected by the motion sensor 426 to enable the welding operatorto navigate and/or make selections within a software user interface(e.g., welding software, welding training software, etc.). For example,the control circuitry 52 may be configured to receive the accelerationand to make a software selection if the acceleration matches apredetermined pattern (e.g., the acceleration indicates a jerky motionin a certain direction, the acceleration indicates that the welding tool14 is being shaken, etc.).

The vibration device 428 is configured to provide feedback to a weldingoperator by directing the welding tool 14 to vibrate and/or shake (e.g.,providing vibration or haptic feedback). The vibration device 428 mayprovide vibration feedback during live welding and/or during simulatedwelding. As may be appreciated, vibration feedback during live weldingmay be tuned to a specific frequency to enable a welding operator todifferentiate between vibration that occurs due to live welding and thevibration feedback. For example, vibration feedback may be provided atapproximately 3.5 Hz during live welding. Using such a frequency mayenable a welding operator to detect when vibration feedback is occurringat the same time that natural vibration occur due to live welding.Conversely, vibration feedback may be provided at approximately 9 Hzduring live welding. However, the 9 Hz frequency may be confused withnatural vibration that occurs due to live welding.

The one or more microphones 429 are configured to facilitatedetermination of the position of the welding tool 14 with a localpositioning system. The one or more microphones 429 of the welding tool14 receive emitted signals (e.g., ultrasonic, RF) from beacons disposedat known locations about the welding environment. As may be appreciated,a local positioning system enables the determination of a location of anobject when the object receives the emitted signals (i.e., viaunobstructed line of sight) from three or more beacons at knownpositions. The control circuitry 52 (or control circuitry of anotherdevice) may determine the position of the welding tool 14 from thereceived signals via triangulation, trilateration, or multilateration.In some embodiments, the microphones 429 may facilitate thedetermination of the position of the welding tool 14 during welding whenone or more of the sensing devices 16 (e.g., cameras) are obstructed bythe workpiece 82 and/or the operator.

FIG. 19 is an embodiment of a method 430 for providing vibrationfeedback to a welding operator using the welding tool 14. The controlcircuitry 52 (or control circuitry of another device) detects aparameter (e.g., work angle, travel angle, travel speed, tip-to-workdistance, aim, etc.) corresponding to a welding operation (block 432).As may be appreciated, the welding operation may be a live weldingoperation, a simulated welding operation, a virtual reality weldingoperation, and/or an augmented reality welding operation. The controlcircuitry 52 determines whether the parameter is within a firstpredetermined range (block 434). As may be appreciated, the firstpredetermined range may be a range that is just outside of an acceptablerange. For example, the parameter may be work angle, the acceptablerange may be 45 to 50 degrees, and the first predetermined range may be50 to 55 degrees. Accordingly, in such an example, the control circuitry52 determines whether the work angle is within the first predeterminedrange of 50 to 55 degrees.

If the parameter is within the first predetermined range, the controlcircuitry 52 vibrates the welding tool 14 at a first pattern (block436). The first pattern may be a first frequency, a first frequencymodulation, a first amplitude, and so forth. Moreover, if the parameteris not within the first predetermined range, the control circuitry 52determines whether the parameter is within a second predetermined range(block 438). The second predetermined range may be a range that is justoutside of the first predetermined range. For example, continuing theexample discussed above, the second predetermined range may be 55 to 60degrees. Accordingly, in such an example, the control circuitry 52determines whether the work angle is within the second predeterminedrange of 55 to 60 degrees. If the parameter is within the secondpredetermined range, the control circuitry 52 vibrates the welding tool14 at a second pattern (block 440). The second pattern may be a secondfrequency, a second frequency modulation, a second amplitude, and soforth. It should be noted that the second pattern is typically differentthan the first pattern. In certain embodiments, the first and secondpatterns may be the same. Furthermore, audible indications may beprovided to the welding operator to indicate whether the parameter iswithin the first predetermined range or within the second predeterminedrange. In addition, audible indications may be used to indicate aparameter that is not within an acceptable range. In such embodiments,vibration may be used to indicate that a welding operator is doingsomething wrong, and audible indications may be used to identify whatthe welding operator is doing wrong and/or how to fix it. The parametermay be any suitable parameter, such as a work angle, a travel angle, atravel speed, a tip-to-work distance, and/or an aim. FIGS. 20 through 22illustrate embodiments of various patterns.

FIG. 20 is a graph 442 of an embodiment of two patterns each including adifferent frequency for providing vibration feedback to a weldingoperator. A first pattern 444 is separated from a second pattern 446 bytime 448. In the illustrated embodiment, the first pattern 444 is afirst frequency and the second pattern 446 is a second frequency that isdifferent from the first frequency. The first and second frequencies maybe any suitable frequency. As may be appreciated, the first and secondfrequencies may be configured to be different than a natural frequencyproduced during live welding to facilitate a welding operatordifferentiating between the natural frequency and the first and secondfrequencies. Although the illustrated embodiment shows the firstfrequency being lower than the second frequency, in other embodiments,the second frequency may be lower than the first frequency.

FIG. 21 is a graph 450 of an embodiment of two patterns each including adifferent modulation for providing vibration feedback to a weldingoperator. A first pattern 452 is separated from a second pattern 454 bytime 456. In the illustrated embodiment, the first pattern 452 is afirst modulation and the second pattern 454 is a second modulation thatis different from the first modulation. The first and second modulationmay be any suitable modulation. For example, the first modulation mayinclude a first number of vibration pulses (e.g., two pulses) and thesecond modulation may include a second number of vibration pulses (e.g.,three pulses). Moreover, the modulation may vary a number of pulses, atime between pulses, etc. In certain embodiments, a number of vibrationpulses and/or a time between pulses may be configured to graduallyincrease or decrease as a parameter moves toward or away from acceptableparameter values. Although the illustrated embodiment shows the firstmodulation as having fewer pulses than the second modulation, in otherembodiments, the second modulation may have fewer pulses than the firstmodulation.

FIG. 22 is a graph 458 of an embodiment of two patterns each including adifferent amplitude for providing vibration feedback to a weldingoperator. A first pattern 460 is separated from a second pattern 462 bytime 464. In the illustrated embodiment, the first pattern 460 is afirst amplitude and the second pattern 462 is a second amplitude that isdifferent from the first amplitude. The first and second amplitudes maybe any suitable amplitude. Although the illustrated embodiment shows thefirst amplitude being lower than the second amplitude, in otherembodiments, the second amplitude may be lower than the first amplitude.

The welding tool 14 may provide varied levels of vibration and visualfeedback to the operator during simulated welding or live welding. Forexample, a first feedback mode of the welding tool 14 may provide visualfeedback (e.g., via display 62) and vibration feedback to the operatoruntil the operator initiates a simulated or live welding process, andthe welding tool 14 may not provide visual or vibration feedback duringthe simulated or live welding process. A second feedback mode of thewelding tool 14 may provide visual and vibration feedback to theoperator both prior to and during the simulated or live welding process.A third feedback mode of the welding tool may provide visual andvibration feedback to the operator both prior to and during onlysimulated welding processes. As may be appreciated, some modes mayprovide only visual feedback prior to or during a simulated weldingprocess, and other modes may provide only vibration feedback prior to orduring a simulated welding process. In some embodiments, an instructormay specify the level of feedback that may be provided to the operatorduring simulated or live welding sessions to be evaluated. Moreover, theoperator may selectively disable vibration and/or visual feedbackprovided by the welding tool prior to and during simulated or livewelding.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the welding tool 14having markers that may be used for tracking the welding tool 14. Insome embodiments, the position of the welding tool 14 may be trackedprior to live welding to determine (i.e., calibrate) the shape of thewelding joint. For example, the welding tool 14 may be utilized to tracethe shape of a workpiece 82 in various positions including, but notlimited, to welding positions 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, 1F, 2F, 3F, 4F,5F, or 6F. The determined shape of the welding joint may be stored inthe data storage system 318 for comparison with a subsequent livewelding process along the welding joint. In some embodiments, theposition of the welding tool 14 may be tracked during live welding andcompared with the shape of the welding joint stored in the data storagesystem 318. The control circuitry 52 of the welding tool 14 and/or anyother component of the welding system 10 may provide approximatelyreal-time feedback to the operator regarding the position (e.g.,location) and/or orientation of the welding tool 14 relative to thewelding joint. The welding tool 14 includes a housing 466 that enclosesthe control circuitry 52 of the welding tool 14 and/or any othercomponents of the welding tool 14. The display 62 and user interface 60are incorporated into a top portion of the housing 466.

As illustrated, a neck 470 extends from the housing 466 of the weldingtool 14. Markers for tracking the welding tool 14 may be disposed on theneck 470. Specifically, a mounting bar 472 is used to couple markers 474to the neck 470. The markers 474 are spherical markers in theillustrated embodiment; however, in other embodiments, the markers 474may be any suitable shape (e.g., such as a shape of an LED). The markers474 are used by the one or more sensing devices 16 for tracking theposition and/or the orientation of the welding tool 14. As may beappreciated, three of the markers 474 are used to define a first plane.Moreover, the markers 474 are arranged such that a fourth marker 474 isin a second plane different than the first plane. Accordingly, thesensing device 16 may be used to track the position and/or theorientation of the welding tool 14 using the four markers 474. It shouldbe noted that while the illustrated embodiment shows four markers 474,the mounting bar 472 may have any suitable number of markers 474.

In certain embodiments, the markers 474 may be reflective markers, whilein other embodiments the markers 474 may be light-emitting markers(e.g., light-emitting diodes LEDs). In embodiments in which the markers474 are light-emitting markers, the markers 474 may be powered byelectrical components within the housing 466 of the welding tool 14. Forexample, the markers 474 may be powered by a connection 476 between themounting bar 472 and the housing 466. Furthermore, the control circuitry52 (or control circuitry of another device) may be used to controlpowering on and/or off (e.g., illuminating) the markers 474. In certainembodiments, the markers 474 may be individually powered on and/or offbased on the position and/or the orientation of the welding tool 14. Inother embodiments, the markers 474 may be powered on and/or off ingroups based on the position and/or the orientation of the welding tool14. It should be noted that in embodiments that do not include themounting bar 472, the connection 476 may be replaced with another marker468 on a separate plane than the illustrated markers 468. Embodiments ofthe welding tool 14 are described herein relative to a consistent set ofcoordinate axes 780. An X-axis 782 is a horizontal direction along alongitudinal axis of the welding tool 14, a Y-axis 784 is the verticaldirection relative to the longitudinal axis, and a Z-axis 786 is ahorizontal direction extending laterally from the welding tool 14.

FIG. 24 is an embodiment of a neck 800 of the welding tool 14, takenalong line 24-24 of FIG. 23. Visual markers 802 are arranged atpredefined locations on the neck 800 to facilitate detection of theposition and orientation of the welding tool 14 by the one or moresensing devices 16. In some embodiments, the visual markers 802 are LEDs64. Additionally, or in the alternative, the visual markers 802 aredirectional, such that the one or more sensing devices 16 detect visualmarkers 802 that are oriented toward the one or more sensing devices 16more readily than visual markers 802 that are less oriented toward theone or more sensing devices 16. For example, LEDs 64 arranged on asurface may be directed to emit light primarily along an axissubstantially perpendicular to the surface. In some embodiments,multiple sets of visual markers 802 are arranged on the neck 800.

The visual markers 802 of each set may be oriented in substantially thesame direction as the other visual markers 802 of the respective set. Insome embodiments, a first set 804 of visual markers 802 is directedsubstantially vertically along the Y-axis 784, a second set 806 ofvisual markers 802 is directed in a second direction 808, and a thirdset 810 of visual markers 802 is directed in a third direction 812. Thatis, the visual markers 802 of each set are oriented to emit light insubstantially parallel directions as other visual markers 802 of therespective set. The second direction 808 is substantially perpendicularto the X-axis 782 along the welding tool 14, and is offset a secondangle 814 from the Y-axis 784. The third direction 812 is substantiallyperpendicular to the X-axis 782 along the welding tool 14, and is offseta third angle 816 from the Y-axis 784. In some embodiments, the secondangle 814 and the third angle 816 have approximately the same magnitude.For example, the second set 806 of visual indicators 802 may be offsetfrom the Y-axis 784 by 45°, and the third set 810 of visual indicators802 may be offset from the Y-axis 784 by 45°, such that the second angle814 is substantially perpendicular with the third angle 816. The secondangle 814 and the third angle 816 may each be between approximately 5°to 180°, 15° to 135°, 25° to 90°, or 30° to 75°. As may be appreciated,the neck 800 may have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more sets ofvisual markers 802, with each set oriented in a particular direction tofacilitate detection by the one or more sensing devices 16.

The visual markers 802 of each set may be arranged on the same orsubstantially parallel planes. For example, the first set 804 of visualmarkers 802 may be arranged on a first plane 818 or a planesubstantially parallel to the first plane 818 that is perpendicular tothe Y-axis 784. The second set 806 of visual markers 802 may be arrangedon a second plane 820 or a plane substantially parallel to the secondplane 820 that is perpendicular to the second direction 808. The thirdset 810 of visual markers 802 may be arranged on a third plane 822 or aplane substantially parallel to the third plane 822 that isperpendicular to the third direction 812. As used herein, the term“substantially parallel” includes orientations within 10 degrees (or 5degrees, or 1 degree, or less) of parallel, and the term “substantiallyperpendicular” includes orientations within 10 degrees (or 5 degrees, or1 degree, or less) of perpendicular. In addition, as used herein, theterm “substantially different”, when referring to orientations, includesangles that differ by more than 10 degrees, more than 15 degrees, morethan 20 degrees, more than 30 degrees, more than 45 degrees, or more.The arrangements of the visual markers 802 of each set may facilitatetracking the welding tool 14 during simulated and/or live out ofposition welding processes including, but not limited to, vertical oroverhead welding positions.

Structures 824 of the neck 800 may facilitate the orientation of thesets of the visual markers 802. For example, a mounting surface of eachstructure 824 may be substantially parallel to a respective plane forthe corresponding set of visual markers 802. Moreover, the structures824 may reduce or eliminate the detection of the respective visualmarker 802 by the one or more sensing devices 16 when the respectivevisual marker 802 is oriented relative to the one or more sensingdevices 16 at an angle greater than a threshold angle. For example, thesecond set 806 of visual markers 802 may be configured to be detected bythe one or more sensing devices 16 when the operator holds the weldingtool 14 with the one or more sensing devices 16 to the left of theoperator (i.e., a left-handed operator), and the third set 810 of visualmarkers 802 may be configured to be detected by the one or more sensingdevices 16 when the operator holds the welding tool 14 with the one ormore sensing devices 16 to the right of the operator (i.e., aright-handed operator). The neck 800 and/or the structures 824 for thesecond set 806 of visual markers 802 may reduce or eliminate thedetection of the second set 806 of visual markers 802 when aright-handed operator uses the welding tool 14, and vice versa for thethird set 810 of visual markers when a left-handed operator uses thewelding tool 14.

FIG. 25 is a top view of an arrangement of visual markers 802 on theneck 800 of the welding tool 14, similar to the embodiment of the neck800 illustrated in FIG. 24. The visual markers 802 of the first set 804(e.g., “A”), the second set 806 (e.g., “B”), and the third set 810(e.g., “C”) are arranged at different predefined positions on the neck800 that enable the sensing device 16 to determine which side of thewelding tool 14 is most directed towards the one or more sensing devices16 via detecting a distinct pattern or arrangement that corresponds toeach side (e.g., top, left 826, right 828, bottom, front) of the weldingtool 14. Additionally, or in the alternative, the visual markers 802(e.g., LEDs 64) of each set may be respectively colored, therebyenabling the one or more sensing devices 16 to determine which side ofthe welding tool 14 is most directed towards the one or more sensingdevices 16 via color detection.

The one or more sensing devices 16 may track the position andorientation of the welding tool 14 relative to the welding stand 12 andthe workpiece 82 when the one or more sensing devices 16 detect athreshold quantity of visual markers 802 of a set. The thresholdquantity of visual markers 802 of a set may be less than or equal to thequantity of visual markers 802 of the respective set. For example, theone or more sensing devices 16 may detect the right side of the weldingtool 14 when detecting the four visual markers 802 of the third set 810,the one or more sensing devices 16 may detect the top side of thewelding tool 14 when detecting the five visual markers 802 of the firstset 804, and the one or more sensing devices 16 may detect the left sideof the welding tool when detecting the four visual markers 802 of thesecond set. In some embodiments, each set of visual markers 802 may haveredundant visual markers, such that the one or more sensing devices 16may track the position and the orientation of the welding tool 14 whenone or more of the redundant visual markers are obscured from view. Theone or more sensing devices 16 may track the position and theorientation with substantially the same accuracy, regardless of whichset is detected by the one or more sensing devices 16.

The visual markers 802 may be arranged on the neck 800 of the weldingtool 14 at positions relative to the X-axis 782 along the welding tool14, and relative to a baseline 830. For example, the first set 804 mayhave five visual markers 802: two visual markers 802 along the baseline830 near a first end 832 of the neck 800 and spaced a first offset 831from the X-axis 782, a visual marker 802 spaced a first distance 834from the baseline 830 in a midsection 836 of the neck 800 and spaced asecond offset 838 from the X-axis 782 to the left side 826, a visualmarker 802 spaced a third distance 840 from the baseline 830 in themidsection 836 and spaced the second offset 838 to the right side 828,and a visual marker 802 near a second end 842 of the neck 800 along theX-axis 782 and spaced a fourth distance 844 from the baseline 830. Thesecond set 806 may have four visual markers 802: a visual marker 802along the baseline 830 and spaced a third offset 846 from the X-axis 782on the left side 826, a visual marker 802 spaced a fifth distance 848from the baseline 830 along the X-axis 782 in the midsection 836, avisual marker 802 spaced a sixth distance 850 from the baseline 830 inthe midsection 836 and spaced the second offset 838 from the X-axis 782on the right side 828, and a visual marker 802 near the second end 842of the neck 800 spaced the fourth distance 844 from the baseline 830 andspaced the second offset 838 on the left side 826. The third set 810 mayhave four visual markers 802: a visual marker 802 along the baseline 830and spaced the third offset 846 from the X-axis 782 on the right side828, a visual marker 802 spaced a seventh distance 852 from baseline 830along the X-axis 782 in the midsection 836, a visual marker 802 spacedan eighth distance 854 from the baseline 830 in the midsection 836 andspaced the second offset 838 from the X-axis 782 on the left side 826,and a visual marker 802 near the second end 842 of the neck 800 spacedthe fourth distance 844 from the baseline 830 and spaced the secondoffset 838 on the right side 828.

The arrangements (e.g., distances and offsets relative to the baseline830 and X-axis 782) of the visual markers 802 for each set 804, 806, 810may be stored in a memory of the welding system 10. For example, thearrangements may be stored in a memory as calibrations corresponding toa particular welding tool 14 coupled to the welding system 10. Asdiscussed in detail below, the welding system 10 may detect thearrangement of the visual markers 802 directed to the one or moresensing devices 16, and determine the position and orientation of thewelding tool 14 relative to the welding stand 12 and the workpiece 82based at least in part on a comparison of the detected arrangement andthe arrangements stored in memory. Each set of visual markers 802 may becalibrated, such as prior to an initial use, after reconnecting thewelding tool 14, or at a predetermined maintenance interval. Tocalibrate a set of visual markers 802, the welding tool 14 may bemounted to the welding stand 12 in a predetermined position andorientation such that the respective set of visual markers 802 issubstantially directed toward the one or more sensing devices 16. Forexample, the first set 804 may be calibrated when the welding tool 14 ismounted such that the Y-axis 784 of the welding tool 14 is generallydirected toward the one or more sensing devices 16, the second set 806may be calibrated when the welding tool 14 is mounted such that thesecond direction 808 is generally directed toward the one or moresensing devices 16, and the third set 810 may be calibrated when thewelding tool 14 is mounted such that the third direction 812 isgenerally directed toward the one or more sensing devices 16. In someembodiments, the sets of visual markers 802 are calibrated when acalibration tool (e.g., calibration tool 610 discussed below) is coupledto the welding tool 14. The operator may verify the calibrations bymoving the welding tool 14 about the welding environment relative to thewelding stand 12 and the one or more sensing devices 16.

In certain embodiments, the visual markers 802 described herein, whichare detected by the one or more sensing devices 16, may include passivemarkers (e.g., stickers, reflectors, patterns) and/or active markers(e.g., lights, LEDs). Accordingly, the visual markers 802 may beconfigured to either emit light that is detected by the one or moresensing devices 16 or reflect light that is detected by the one or moresensing devices 16. Furthermore, as described in greater detail herein,the visual markers 802 may include visible spectrum markers, as well asnon-visible spectrum markers such as infrared markers, or somecombination thereof, in certain embodiments. In addition, it should benoted that, while the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25 relateto visual markers 802 configured to be detected by the one or moresensing devices 16, in other embodiments, the markers 802 may be othertypes of markers configured to facilitate tracking of the position,orientation, and/or movement of the welding tool 14. For example, incertain embodiments, the markers 802 may include electromagnetic,acoustic, microelectromechanical (MEMS), or other types of components,that may effectively function as markers on the welding tool 14 tofacilitate tracking of position, orientation, and/or movement of thewelding tool 14 by the one or more sensing devices 16.

FIG. 26 is an embodiment of a method 478 for displaying on a display 62of a welding tool 14 a welding parameter in relation to a threshold. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the control circuitry 52 (or controlcircuitry of another device) receives a selection made by a weldingoperator of a welding parameter associated with a position, anorientation, and/or a movement of the welding tool 14 (block 480). Forexample, the welding operator may select a button on the user interface60 of the welding tool 14 to select a welding parameter. The weldingparameter may be any suitable welding parameter, such as a work angle, atravel angle, a travel speed, a tip-to-work distance, an aim, and soforth. As may be appreciated, the welding system 10 may select thewelding parameter automatically without input from a welding operator.After the selection is made, the display 62 of the welding tool 14displays or shows a representation of the welding parameter in relationto a predetermined threshold range and/or target value for the weldingparameter (block 482). The displayed welding parameter is configured tochange as the position of the welding tool 14 changes, as theorientation of the welding tool 14 changes, and/or as movement of thewelding tool 14 changes. Thus, the welding operator may use the weldingtool 14 to properly position and/or orient the welding tool 14 whileperforming (e.g., prior to beginning, starting, stopping, etc.) awelding operation, thereby enabling the welding operator to perform thewelding operation with the welding parameter within the predeterminedthreshold range or at the target value.

For example, the welding operator may desire to begin the weldingoperation with a proper work angle. Accordingly, the welding operatormay select “work angle” on the welding tool 14. After “work angle” isselected, the welding operator may position the welding tool 14 at adesired work angle. As the welding operator moves the welding tool 14, acurrent work angle is displayed in relation to a desired work angle.Thus, the welding operator may move the welding tool 14 around until thecurrent work angle matches the desired work angle and/or is within adesired range of work angles. As may be appreciated, the display 62 maybe turned off and/or darkened so that it is blank during a weldingoperation. However, a welding operator may select a desired weldingparameter prior to performing the welding operation. Even with thedisplay 62 blank, the control circuitry 52 may be configured to monitorthe welding parameter and provide feedback to the welding operatorduring the welding operation (e.g., vibration feedback, audio feedback,etc.).

FIG. 27 is an embodiment of a set of screenshots of the display 62 ofthe welding tool 14 for showing a welding parameter in relation to athreshold. The set of screenshots illustrate various ways that weldingparameters are displayed for a welding operator for performing a weldingoperation. As may be appreciated, in certain embodiments, the weldingparameters may be displayed to the welding operator before, during,and/or after the welding operation. Screen 484 illustrates a work anglethat is not within a predetermined threshold range. A parameter portion486 of the display 62 indicates the selected parameter. Moreover, arange section 488 indicates whether the selected parameter is within thepredetermined threshold range. Furthermore, a parameter value section490 indicates the value of the selected parameter. On the screen 484,the work angle of 38 is out of range as indicated by the arrow extendingoutward from the central circle. Screen 492 illustrates a work angle of45 that is within the predetermined threshold range as indicated by noarrow extending from the central circle.

As may be appreciated, the one or more sensing devices 16 may beconfigured to detect whether the travel angle is a drag angle (e.g., thetravel angle is ahead of the welding arc) or a push angle (e.g., thetravel angle follows behind the welding arc). Accordingly, screen 494illustrates a drag travel angle of 23 that is outside of a predeterminedthreshold range as indicated by an arrow extending outward from acentral circle. Conversely, screen 496 illustrates a push travel angleof 15 that is within the predetermined threshold range as indicated byno arrow extending from the central circle. Furthermore, screen 498illustrates a travel speed of 12 that is within of a predeterminedthreshold range as indicated by a vertical line aligned with the centralcircle. Conversely, screen 500 illustrates a travel speed of 18 that isoutside of (i.e., greater than) the predetermined threshold range asindicated by the vertical line to the right of the central circle. Asmay be appreciated, a travel speed that is less than a predeterminedthreshold range may be indicated by a vertical line to the left of thecentral circle. The travel speed indicator may dynamically move relativeto the central circle in real-time during a weld process based at leastin part on the determined travel speed, thereby guiding the operator toperform the weld process with a travel speed within the predeterminedthreshold range.

Screen 502 illustrates a tip-to-work distance of 1.5 that is greaterthan a predetermined threshold range as indicated by a small circlewithin an outer band. Moreover, screen 504 illustrates the tip-to-workdistance of 0.4 that is less than a predetermined threshold range asindicated by the circle outside of the outer band. Furthermore, screen506 illustrates the tip-to-work distance of 1.1 that is within thepredetermined threshold range as indicated by the circle substantiallyfilling the area within the outer band. Moreover, screen 508 illustratesan aim of 0.02 that is within a predetermined threshold range asindicated by a line 509 aligned with a central circle. Conversely,screen 510 illustrates an aim of 0.08 that is not within thepredetermined threshold range as indicated by the line 509 toward thetop part of the central circle. In some embodiments, the line 509 ofscreens 508 and 510 represents the joint relative to the tip of thewelding tool 14. For example, screens 508 and 510 illustrate the aim ofthe welding tool 14 when the welding tool 14 is oriented substantiallyperpendicular to the joint (as illustrated by the line 509). Screen 511illustrates the aim of the welding tool 14 when the welding tool 14 isat least partially angled relative to the joint, as indicated by theline 509 and the tilted orientation of the welding tool 14. That is,while the positions of the welding tool 14 relative to the joint (e.g.,line 509) corresponding to screens 508 and 511 are substantially thesame, the orientation of the line 509 of screen 508 on the displaycorresponds to a perpendicular orientation of the welding tool 14relative to the joint and the orientation of the line 509 of screen 511on the display 62 corresponds to a non-perpendicular orientation of thewelding tool 14 relative to the joint. The orientation of the rangesection 488 (e.g., aim indicator, angle indicator, CTWD indicator) maybe rotated on the display by a rotation angle defined as the angledifference between a front edge 513 of the display 62 and the joint. Thegraphical representations on the display 62 may correspond to theorientation of the welding tool 14 to the joint rather than to theorientation of the display 62 relative to the operator. For example,when the welding tool 14 is positioned near a vertical joint such thatthe welding tool 14 is substantially parallel with the joint, the line509 on the display 62 may be oriented vertically. The joint indicatorline 509 may be substantially perpendicular to the travel speedindicator discussed above with screens 498 and 500.

While specific graphical representations have been shown on the display62 in the illustrated embodiment for showing a welding parameter inrelation to a threshold, other embodiments may use any suitablegraphical representations for showing a welding parameter in relation toa threshold. Moreover, in certain embodiments individual parametervisual guides may be combined so that multiple parameters are visuallydisplayed together.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the welding system 10 may detect ifthe welding tool 14 is near and/or far from a welding joint. Being nearthe welding joint is a function of the contact tip-to-work distance(CTWD) and aim parameters. When both the CTWD and aim parameters arewithin suitable predetermined ranges, the welding system 10 may considerthe welding tool 14 near the welding joint. Furthermore, the controlcircuitry 52 of the welding tool 14 or another device may determine thework angle, the travel angle, and the travel speed based at least inpart on the position of the welding tool 14 relative to a known (e.g.,calibrated) welding joint of the workpiece 82 when the CTWD and the aimare substantially constant along the welding joint. As may beappreciated, the position and orientation of the welding tool 14 may bedetermined via the sensing devices 16 and markers on the welding tool14, the one or more motion sensors 426, and/or the one or moremicrophones 429 of the welding tool 14. Moreover, when the welding tool14 is near the welding joint, the visual guides may be displayed on thewelding tool 14. When the welding tool 14 is near the welding joint andin the live welding mode, a message (e.g., warning message) may bedisplayed on a display indicating that proper welding equipment (e.g.,welding helmet, etc.) should be in place as a safety precaution foronlookers. However, an external display may continue to display thereal-time data at a safe distance from the welding operation. Moreover,in some embodiments, when the welding tool 14 is near the welding jointand in the live welding mode, the display of the welding tool 14 may bechanged (e.g., to substantially blank and/or clear, to a non-distractingview, to a predetermined image, etc.) while a welding operator actuatesthe trigger of the welding tool 14. When the welding tool 14 is far fromthe welding joint, actuating the trigger of the welding tool 14 will notperform (e.g., begin) a test run. Furthermore, when the welding tool 14is far from the welding joint, actuating the welding tool 14 will haveno effect in a non-live welding mode, and may feed welding wire in thelive welding mode without beginning a test run.

FIG. 28 is an embodiment of a method 512 for tracking the welding tool14 in the welding system 10 using at least four markers. One or morecameras (e.g., such as one or more cameras of the one or more sensingdevices 16) are used to detect the markers of the welding tool 14 (block514). As discussed above, the markers may be reflective markers and/orlight-emitting markers. Furthermore, the markers may include four ormore markers to facilitate determining an accurate position and/ororientation of the welding tool 14. One or more processors 20 of thecomputer 18 (or other processors) may be used with the sensing devices16 to track the position of the welding tool 14 and/or the orientationof the welding tool 14 based on the detected markers (block 516). If theone or more cameras are unable to detect one or more of the markers, theone or more processors 20 (or control circuitry, such as the controlcircuitry 52) may be configured to block live welding while the one ormore cameras are unable to detect the markers (block 518). However, insome embodiments of the welding system 10, one or more camerasintegrated with the helmet 41 may enable detection of four or moremarkers to facilitate determining an accurate position and/ororientation of the welding tool 14 with respect to the welding helmet41. Thus, one or more cameras integrated with the helmet 41 mayfacilitate detection of the position and/or orientation of the weldingtool 14 for welding processes that would otherwise obscure the one ormore markers from cameras mounted to the welding stand 12. As may beappreciated, the position and/or orientation of the welding helmet 41 inthe welding environment may be determined via the one or more sensingdevices 16 of the welding system 10 in a similar manner as describedabove for the welding tool 14 where the markers are observable. In someembodiments, the display 62 of the welding tool 14 may be configured todisplay a message indicating that the markers are not detected while theone or more cameras are unable to detect the markers of the welding tool14 (block 520). Accordingly, live welding using the welding tool 14 maybe blocked if the welding tool 14 is unable to be tracked by the one ormore sensing devices 16.

Some embodiments of the welding system 10 may track the welding tool 14in the welding environment during periods where one or more of themarkers 474 are obscured and not detected. As described above, thewelding system 10 may track the position and/or the orientation of thewelding tool 14 based at least in part on feedback from one or moremotion sensors 426 (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes) of the weldingtool 14. Moreover, embodiments of the welding system 10 with beacons ofa local positioning system and one or more microphones 429 on thewelding tool 14 may determine a position of the welding tool 14 withinthe welding environment when the portions (e.g., markers 474) of thewelding tool 14 are obscured from the line of sight of some sensingdevices 16 (e.g., cameras). Accordingly, block 518 of method 512 (toblock live welding while the markers are not detected) may be optionalduring intervals when the control circuitry 52 may otherwise determinethe position of the welding tool 14 within the welding environment.Additionally, or in the alternative, the welding system 10 may track thewelding tool 14 in the welding environment when the welding tool 14 doesnot have markers 474 as described above. Therefore, in some embodiments,the control circuitry 52 permits live welding while the markers are notdetected or not present on the welding tool 14.

FIG. 29 is an embodiment of a method 522 for detecting the ability forthe processor 20 (or any other processor) to communicate with thewelding tool 14. The welding tool 14 is configured to detect a signalfrom the processor 20 (block 524). The signal is provided from theprocessor 20 to the welding tool 14 at a predetermined interval. Incertain embodiments, the signal may be a pulsed signal provided from theprocessor 20 to the welding tool 14 at the predetermined interval.Moreover, the signal is provided to the welding tool 14 so that thewelding tool 14 is able to determine that the welding tool 14 is able tocommunicate with the processor 20. If the welding tool 14 does notreceive the signal from the processor 20 within the predeterminedinterval, control circuitry 52 (or control circuitry of another device)is configured to block live welding using the welding tool 14 while thesignal is not detected (block 526). Moreover, the display 62 may beconfigured to display a message indicating that the signal from theprocessor 20 is not detected while the live welding is blocked (block528). Accordingly, the welding tool 14 may detect the ability for theprocessor 20 to communicate with the welding tool 14.

FIG. 30 is an embodiment of a method 530 for calibrating a curved weldjoint that may be used with the welding system 10. One or more cameras(e.g., such as one or more cameras of the one or more sensing devices16) are used to detect a first position (e.g., first calibration point)of the curved weld joint (block 532). For example, a calibration tooland/or the welding tool 14 may be used to identify the first position ofthe curved weld joint to the one or more cameras (e.g., such as bytouching a tip of the calibration tool and/or the welding tool 14 to thefirst position). In addition, the one or more cameras may be used totrack the calibration tool and/or the welding tool 14 to determine aposition and/or an orientation of the calibration tool and/or thewelding tool 14 for detecting the first position of the curved weldjoint.

Moreover, the one or more cameras are used to detect a second position(e.g., second calibration point) of the curved weld joint (block 534).For example, the calibration tool 120 and/or the welding tool 14 may beused to identify the second position of the curved weld joint to the oneor more cameras. In addition, the one or more cameras may be used totrack the calibration tool 120 and/or the welding tool 14 to determine aposition and/or an orientation of the calibration tool 120 and/or thewelding tool 14 for detecting the second position of the curved weldjoint. Furthermore, the one or more cameras are used to detect a curvedportion of the curved weld joint between the first and second positionsof the curved weld joint (block 536). For example, the calibration tool120 and/or the welding tool 14 may be used to identify the curved weldjoint between the first and second positions of the curved weld joint.In addition, the one or more cameras may be used to track thecalibration tool 120 and/or the welding tool 14 to determine a positionand/or an orientation of the calibration tool 120 and/or the weldingtool 14 for detecting the curved portion of the curved weld joint. Asmay be appreciated, during operation, the first position may bedetected, then the curved weld joint may be detected, and then thesecond position may be detected. However, the detection of the firstposition, the second position, and the curved weld joint may occur inany suitable order. In certain embodiments, a representation of thecurved portion of the curved weld joint may be stored for determining aquality of a welding operation by comparing a position and/or anorientation of the welding tool 14 during the welding operation to thestored representation of the curved portion of the curved weld joint. Asmay be appreciated, in certain embodiments, the welding operation may bea multi-pass welding operation.

Moreover, calibration for some joints, such as circular weld joints(e.g., pipe joints) may be performed by touching the calibration tool tothree different points around the circumference of the circular weldjoint. A path of the circular weld joint may then be determined bycalculating a best-fit circle that intersects all three points. The pathof the circular weld joint may be stored and used to evaluate weldingparameters of training welds. For a more complex geometry, thecalibration tool 120 and/or the welding tool 14 might be dragged alongthe entire joint in order to indicate the joint to the system so thatall of the parameters may be calculated.

In some embodiments, the method 530 for calibrating a curved weld jointthat may be used with the welding system 10 may not utilize the weldingtool 14 or the calibration tool to determine the path of the weld joint.That is, the control circuitry 52 may utilize one or more imagescaptured by cameras (e.g., such as one or more cameras of the one ormore sensing devices 16) to detect the first position (block 532), thesecond position (block 534), and the curved portion (block 536) of theweld joint. Additionally, or in the alternative, the control circuitry52 may utilize one or more emitters (e.g., emitters 105, 109) to emit avisible pattern (e.g., grid, point field) onto the workpiece 82 and weldjoint. Cameras configured to detect the visible pattern may determinethe shape of the workpiece 82 and/or the path of the weld joint based onparticular features of the shape and orientation of the visible patternon the workpiece 82 and weld joint. The control circuitry 52 maydetermine the shape of the weld joint and/or the workpiece 82 utilizingobject recognition algorithms (e.g., edge detection) applied to the oneor more captured images or visible pattern. The operator may provideinput to aid the object recognition, such as selecting a type of joint(e.g., butt, tee, lap, corner, edge) and/or the shape (e.g., planar,tubular, curved) of the workpiece 82.

FIG. 31 is a diagram of an embodiment of a curved weld joint 538. Such acurved weld joint 538 may be calibrated using the method 530 describedin FIG. 30. The curved weld joint 538 is on a workpiece 540.Specifically, the curved weld joint 538 includes a first position 542, asecond position 544, and a curved portion 546. Using the method 530, ashape of the curved weld joint 538 may be determined and/or stored forevaluating a welding operator performing a welding operation on thecurved weld joint 538.

FIG. 32 is a diagram of an embodiment of a complex shape workpiece 539with a curved weld joint 541. The curved weld joint 541 may becalibrated via markings 543 added to the workpiece 539 near the curvedweld joint 541. The markings 543 may include, but are not limited tostickers, reflectors, paints, or pigments applied to the workpiece 539via a roller tool 545. The operator may roll a marking wheel 547 of theroller tool 545 along the curved weld joint 541, depositing the markings543 on the workpiece 539. For example, pads 549 on the marking wheel 547may apply the markings 543 to the workpiece 539 at regular intervalsalong the curved weld joint 541. Cameras of the one or more sensingdevices 16 on the welding stand 12 and/or integrated with the helmet 41of the welding system 10 may detect the markings 543. Control circuitryof the welding system 10 may determine the shape of the complex shapeworkpiece 539 and/or the welding system 10 may determine the weldingpath along the curved weld joint 541 based at least in part on thedetected markings 543. The shape of the complex shape workpiece 539and/or the welding path of the curved weld joint 541 may be stored forevaluating a welding operator performing a welding operation on thecurved weld joint 541. While the markings 543 shown in FIG. 39 arediscontinuous, some embodiments of the markings 543 may be continuousalong the curved weld joint 541.

FIG. 33 is an embodiment of a method 548 for tracking a multi-passwelding operation. One or more cameras (e.g., such as one or morecameras of the one or more sensing devices 16) are used to detect afirst pass of the welding tool 14 along a weld joint during themulti-pass welding operation (block 550). Moreover, the one or morecameras are used to detect a second pass of the welding tool 14 alongthe weld joint during the multi-pass welding operation (block 552).Furthermore, the one or more cameras are used to detect a third pass ofthe welding tool 14 along the weld joint during the multi-pass weldingoperation (block 554). The control circuitry 52 (or control circuitry ofanother device) may be configured to store a representation of the firstpass, the second pass, and/or the third pass together as a singlewelding operation for determining a quality of the multi-pass weldingoperation. As may be appreciated, the multi-pass welding operation maybe a live welding operation, a training welding operation, a virtualreality welding operation, and/or an augmented reality weldingoperation.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the welding stand 12.The welding stand 12 includes the welding surface 88 supported by thelegs 90. Moreover, the welding surface 88 includes one or more slots 91to facilitate positioning of a workpiece on the welding surface 88.Furthermore, the welding surface 88 includes multiple apertures 556(e.g., holes or openings) that extend through the welding surface 88.The apertures 556 may be used to enable the one or more sensing devices16 to determine a position and/or an orientation of the welding surface88. Specifically, markers may be arranged below the apertures 556, yetwithin the view of the one or more sensing devices 16 to enable thesensing devices 16 to determine the position and/or the orientation ofthe welding surface 88. The markers may be arranged below the weldingsurface 88 to facilitate longer lasting markers and/or to block debrisfrom covering the markers, as explained in greater detail in relation toFIG. 35.

Drawers 558 are attached to the welding stand 12 to enable storage ofvarious components with the welding stand 12. Moreover, wheels 560 arecoupled to the welding stand 12 to facilitate easily moving the weldingstand 12. Adjacent to the drawers 558, a calibration tool holder 562 anda welding tool holder 564 enable storage of the calibration tool 120 andthe welding tool 14. In certain embodiments, the welding system 10 maybe configured to detect that the calibration tool 120 is in thecalibration tool holder 562 at various times, such as before performinga welding operation. A support structure 566 extending vertically fromthe welding surface 88 is used to provide structure support to the oneor more sensing devices 16 and the display 32. Moreover, a tray 568 iscoupled to the support structure 566 to facilitate storage of variouscomponents.

The protective cover 102 is positioned over the display 32 to blockcertain environmental elements from contacting the display 32 (e.g.,weld spatter, smoke, sparks, heat, etc.). A handle 570 is coupled to theprotective cover 102 to facilitate rotation of the protective cover 102from a first position (as illustrated) used to block certainenvironmental elements from contacting the display 32 to a second raisedposition away from the display 32, as illustrated by arrows 572. Thesecond position is not configured to block the environmental elementsfrom contacting the display 32. In certain embodiments, the protectivecover 102 may be held in the first and/or the second position by alatching device, a shock, an actuator, a stop, and so forth.

In certain embodiments, a switch 573 is used to detect whether theprotective cover 102 is in the first position or in the second position.Moreover, the switch 573 may be coupled to the control circuitry 52 (orcontrol circuitry of another device) and configured to detect whetherthe protective cover 102 is in the first or the second position and toblock or enable various operations (e.g., live welding, auxiliary power,etc.) while the switch 573 detects that the protective cover 102 is inthe first and/or the second position. For example, if the switch 573detects that the protective cover 102 is in the second position (e.g.,not properly covering the display 32), the control circuitry 52 mayblock live welding and/or simulation welding (with the protective cover102 in the second position, the one or more sensing devices 16 may beunable to accurately detect markers). As another example, if the switch573 detects that the protective cover 102 is in the second position,control circuitry of the welding stand 12 may block the availability ofpower provided to an outlet 574 of the welding stand 12. In certainembodiments, the display 32 may show an indication that the protectivecover 102 is in the first and/or the second position. For example, whilethe protective cover 102 is in the second position, the display 32 mayprovide an indication to the welding operator that live welding and/orpower at the outlet 574 are unavailable. The welding stand 12 includesspeakers 575 to enable audio feedback to be provided to a weldingoperator using the welding stand 12. Furthermore, in certainembodiments, if the trigger of the welding tool 14 is actuated while theprotective cover 102 is in the second position, the welding system 10may provide visual and/or audio feedback to the operator (e.g., thewelding system 10 may provide a visual message and an audible soundeffect).

As illustrated, the support structure 566 includes a first arm 576 and asecond arm 578. The first and second arms 576 and 578 are rotatableabout the support structure 566 to enable the first and second arms 576and 578 to be positioned at a selected height for vertical and/oroverhead welding. In the illustrated embodiment, the first and secondarms 576 and 578 are independently (e.g., separately) rotatable relativeto one another so that the first arm 576 may be positioned at a firstvertical position while the second arm 578 may be positioned at a secondvertical position different from the first vertical position. In otherembodiments, the first and second arms 576 and 578 are configured torotate together. Moreover, in certain embodiments, the first and secondarms 576 and 578 may be rotated independently and/or together based on aselection by a welding operator. As may be appreciated, in otherembodiments, arms may not be coupled to the support structure 566, butinstead may be positioned at other locations, such as being positionedto extend vertically above one or more front legs, etc. Furthermore, insome embodiments, a structure may be coupled to the welding stand 12 tofacilitate a welding operator leaning and/or resting thereon (e.g., aleaning bar).

Each of the first and second arms 576 and 578 includes a shock 580 (oranother supporting device) that facilitates holding the first and secondarms 576 and 578 in selected vertical positions. Moreover, each of thefirst and second arms 576 and 578 includes a braking system 582configured to lock the first and second arms 576 and 578 individually inselected positions. In certain embodiments, the braking system 582 isunlocked by applying a force to a handle, a switch, a pedal, and/oranother device.

As illustrated, the workpiece 82 is coupled to the second arm 578 foroverhead and/or vertical welding. Moreover, the first arm 576 includesthe welding plate 108 for overhead, horizontal, and/or vertical welding.As may be appreciated, the workpiece 82, the welding plate 108, and/or aclamp used to hold the welding plate 108 may include multiple markers(e.g., reflective and/or light emitting) to facilitate tracking by theone or more sensing devices 16. For example, in certain embodiments, theworkpiece 82, the welding plate 108, and/or the clamp may include threemarkers on one surface (e.g., in one plane), and a fourth marker onanother surface (e.g., in a different plane) to facilitate tracking bythe one or more sensing devices 16. As illustrated, a brake release 584is attached to each of the first and second arms 576 and 578 forunlocking each braking system 582. In certain embodiments, a pull chainmay extend downward from each brake release 584 to facilitate unlockingand/or lowering the first and second arms 576 and 578, such as while thebrake release 584 of the first and second arms 576 and 578 arevertically above the reach of a welding operator. Thus, the weldingoperator may pull a handle of the pull chain to unlock the brakingsystem 582 and/or to lower the first and second arms 576 and 578.

As illustrated, the second arm 578 includes a clamp assembly 588 forcoupling the workpiece 82 to the second arm 578. Moreover, the clampassembly 588 includes multiple T-handles 590 for adjusting, tightening,securing, and/or loosening clamps and other portions of the clampassembly 588. In certain embodiments, the first arm 576 may also includevarious T-handles 590 for adjusting, tightening, securing, and/orloosening the welding plate 108. As may be appreciated, the clampassembly 588 may include multiple markers (e.g., reflective and/or lightemitting) to facilitate tracking by the one or more sensing devices 16.For example, in certain embodiments, the clamp assembly 588 may includethree markers on one surface (e.g., in one plane), and a fourth markeron another surface (e.g., in a different plane) to facilitate trackingby the one or more sensing devices 16. It should be noted that thewelding system 10 may include the clamp assembly 588 on one or both ofthe first and second arms 576 and 578.

In certain embodiments, the one or more sensing devices 16 may include aremovable cover 592 disposed in front of one or more cameras of thesensing device 16 to block environmental elements (e.g., spatter, smoke,heat, etc.) or other objects from contacting the sensing device 16. Theremovable cover 592 is disposed in slots 594 configured to hold theremovable cover 592 in front of the sensing device 16. In certainembodiments, the removable cover 592 may be inserted, removed, and/orreplaced without the use of tools. As explained in detail below, theremovable cover 592 may be disposed in front of the sensing device 16 atan angle to facilitate infrared light passing therethrough.

As illustrated, a linking assembly 596 may be coupled between the firstand/or second arms 576 and 578 and the one or more sensing devices 16 tofacilitate rotation of the sensing devices 16 as the first and/or secondarms 576 and 578 are rotated. Accordingly, as the first and/or secondarms 576 and 578 are rotated, the sensing device 16 may also rotate suchthat one or more cameras of the one or more sensing devices 16 arepositioned to track a selected welding surface. For example, if thefirst and/or second arms 576 and 578 are positioned in a loweredposition, the one or more sensing devices 16 may be configured to trackwelding operations that occur on the welding surface 88. On the otherhand, if the first and/or second arms 576 and 578 are positioned in araised position, the one or more sensing devices 16 may be configured totrack vertical, horizontal, and/or overhead welding operations. In someembodiments, the first and/or second arms 576 and 578 and the one ormore sensing devices 16 may not be mechanically linked, yet rotation ofthe first and/or second arms 576 and 578 may facilitate rotation of thesensing devices 16. For example, markers on the first and/or second arms576 and 578 may be detected by the one or more sensing devices 16, andthe sensing devices 16 may move (e.g., using a motor) based on thesensed position of the first and/or second arms 576 and 578.

In some embodiments, movement of the first and/or second arms 576, 578may at least partially invalidate previous calibrations of the one ormore sensing devices 16 with components of the welding stand 12. Forexample, after the sensing devices 16 are calibrated with the main(e.g., horizontal) welding surface 88 of the welding stand 12,subsequent movement of the first and second arms 576, 578 may invalidatethe calibration of the main welding surface 88 based at least in part onmovement of the sensing devices 16. Accordingly, the one or more sensingdevices 16 may be recalibrated with the main welding surface 88 afterthe operator performs welding sessions that utilize the first and/orsecond arms 576, 578. In some embodiments, the computer 18 notifies theoperator via the display 32 and/or audible notifications when the one ormore sensing devices 16 are to be recalibrated based on detectedmovement of the sensing devices 16 relative to the welding surface 88.Additionally, or in the alternative, the display 62 of the welding tool14 may notify the operator when the one or more sensing devices 16 areto be recalibrated.

FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the weldingsurface 88 of the welding stand 12 of FIG. 34. As illustrated, thewelding surface 88 includes multiple apertures 556 extendingtherethrough between an upper plane 597 of the welding surface 88 and alower plane 598 of the welding surface 88. A bracket 599 is positionedbeneath each aperture 556. The brackets 599 may be coupled to thewelding surface 88 using any suitable fastener or securing means. In theillustrated embodiment, the brackets 599 are coupled to the weldingsurface 88 using fasteners 600 (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.). In otherembodiments, the brackets 599 may be welded, bonded, or otherwisesecured to the welding surface 88. Moreover, in certain embodiments, thebrackets 599 may be mounted to a lateral side of the welding stand 12rather than the welding surface 88. Markers 602 are coupled to thebrackets 599 and positioned vertically below the apertures 556, but themarkers 602 are horizontally offset from the apertures 556 to block dustand/or spatter from contacting the markers 602 and to enable the one ormore sensing devices 16 to sense the markers 602. In some embodiments,the markers 602 may be positioned within the apertures 556 and/or at anylocation such that the motion tracking system is positioned on one sideof the upper plane 597 and the markers 602 are positioned on theopposite side of the upper plane 597. As may be appreciated, the markers602 may be light reflective and/or light-emissive. For example, incertain embodiments, the markers 602 may be formed from a lightreflective tape. In some embodiments, the markers 602 may be sphericalmarkers. Accordingly, the one or more sensing devices 16 may detect themarkers 602 to determine a position and/or an orientation of the weldingsurface 88.

FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a sensing device16 having the removable cover 592. As illustrated, the removable cover592 is disposed in the slots 594. The sensing device 16 includes acamera 604 (e.g., infrared camera) having a face 605 on a side of thecamera 604 having a lens 606. The removable cover 592 is configured toenable infrared light to pass therethrough and to block environmentalelements (e.g., spatter, smoke, heat, etc.) or other objects fromcontacting the lens 606 of the camera 604. As may be appreciated, thecamera 604 may include one or more infrared emitters 607 configured toemit infrared light. If the removable cover 592 is positioned directlyin front of the face 605, a large amount of the infrared light from theinfrared emitters 607 may be reflected by the removable cover 592 towardthe lens 606 of the camera 604. Accordingly, the removable cover 592 ispositioned at an angle 608 relative to the face 605 of the camera 604 todirect a substantial portion of the infrared light from being reflectedtoward the lens 606. Specifically, in certain embodiments, the removablecover 592 may be positioned with the angle 608 between approximately 10to 60 degrees relative to the face 605 of the camera 604. Moreover, inother embodiments, the removable cover 592 may be positioned with theangle 608 between approximately 40 to 50 degrees (e.g., approximately 45degrees) relative to the face 605 of the camera 604. The removable cover592 may be manufactured from any suitable light-transmissive material.For example, in certain embodiments, the removable cover 592 may bemanufactured from a polymeric material, or any other suitable material.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a calibration tool610. As may be appreciated, the calibration tool 610 may be used tocalibrate a workpiece, a work surface, a weld joint, and so forth, for awelding operation. The calibration tool 610 includes a handle 612 tofacilitate gripping the calibration tool 610. Moreover, the calibrationtool 610 is configured to be detected by the one or more sensing devices16 for determining a spatial position that a tip 614 of the calibrationtool 610 is contacting. In certain embodiments, the computer 18 coupledto the one or more sensing devices 16 may be configured to determine acalibration point merely by the tip 614 contacting a specific surface.In other embodiments, the computer 18 is configured to determine acalibration point by a welding operator providing input indicating thatthe tip 614 is contacting a calibration point. Furthermore, in theillustrated embodiment, the computer 18 is configured to detect acalibration point by the tip 614 contacting the calibration point whilea downward force is applied to the calibration tool 610 via the handle.The downward force directs a distance between two adjacent markers todecrease below a predetermined threshold thereby indicating a selectedcalibration point. The one or more sensing devices 16 are configured todetect the change in distance between the two adjacent markers and thecomputer 18 is configured to use the change in distance to identify thecalibration point. The handle 612 is coupled to a light-transmissivecover 616. Moreover, a gasket 618 is coupled to one end of thelight-transmissive cover 616, while an end cap 620 is coupled to anopposite end of the light-transmissive cover 616. During operation, as adownward force is applied to the calibration tool 610 using the handle612, a distance 622 between the tip 613 and the gasket 618 decreases.

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the calibration tool 610 of FIG. 37having the outer cover 616 removed. The calibration tool 610 includes afirst portion 624 having a first shaft 626. Moreover, the first shaft626 includes the tip 614 on one end, and a bearing 628 (or mountingstructure) on an opposite end. In certain embodiments, the bearing 628has a cup like structure configured to fit around a contact tip of thewelding tool 14. Furthermore, the first shaft 626 includes a firstmarker 630 and a second marker 632 coupled thereto. The calibration tool610 also includes a second portion 634 having a second shaft 636 with athird marker 638 coupled thereto. A spring 640 is disposed around thesecond shaft 636 between the third marker 638 and the bearing 628. Asmay be appreciated, the spring 640 facilitates the third marker 638being directed toward the second marker 632. For example, as a downwardforce is applied to the calibration tool 610 using the handle 612, thespring 640 is compressed to decrease a first distance 642 between thesecond and third markers 632 and 638. In contrast, as the downward forceis removed from the calibration tool 610, the spring 640 is decompressedto increase the first distance 642 between the second and third markers632 and 638. A second distance 644 between the first and second markers630 and 632 is fixed, and a third distance 646 between the first marker630 and the tip 614 is also fixed.

In certain embodiments, the welding system 10 uses the calibration tool610 to detect calibration points using a predetermined algorithm. Forexample, the third distance 646 between the tip 614 and the closestmarker to the tip 614 (e.g., the first marker 630) is measured. Thethird distance 646 is stored in memory. The second distance 644 betweentwo fixed markers (e.g., the first marker 630 and the second marker 632)is measured. The second distance 644 is also stored in memory.Furthermore, a compressed distance between the markers (e.g., the secondand third markers 632 and 638) with the spring 640 disposed therebetweenis measured. A line is calculated between the two fixed markers usingtheir x, y, z locations. The line is used to project a vector along thatline with a length of the third distance 646 starting at the firstmarker 630 closest to the tip 614. The direction of the vector may beselected to be away from the compressed markers. Accordingly, the threedimensional location of the tip may be calculated using the markers. Insome embodiments, only two markers may be used by the calibration tool610. In such embodiments, an assumption may be made that the markerclosest to the tip 614 is the marker closest to the work surface (e.g.,table or clamp). Although the calibration tool 610 in the illustratedembodiment uses compression to indicate a calibration point, thecalibration tool 610 may indicate a calibration point in any suitablemanner, such as by uncovering a marker, covering a marker, turning on anLED (e.g., IR LED), turning off an LED (e.g., IR LED), enabling and/ordisabling a wireless transmission to a computer, and so forth.

The first, second, and third markers 630, 632, and 638 are spherical, asillustrated; however, in other embodiments, the first, second, and thirdmarkers 630, 632, and 638 may be any suitable shape. Moreover, thefirst, second, and third markers 630, 632, and 638 have a reflectiveouter surface and/or include a light-emitting device. Accordingly, thefirst, second, and third markers 630, 632, and 638 may be detected bythe one or more sensing devices 16. Therefore, the one or more sensingdevices 16 are configured to detect the first, second, and thirddistances 642, 644, and 646. As the first distance 642 decreases below apredetermined threshold, the computer 18 is configured to identify acalibration point. As may be appreciated, the first, second, and thirddistances 642, 644, and 646 are all different to enable the one or moresensing devices 16 and/or the computer 18 to determine a location of thetip 614 using the location of first, second, and third markers 630, 632,and 638.

To calibrate a workpiece 82, the workpiece 82 may first be clamped tothe welding surface 88. After the workpiece 82 is clamped to the weldingsurface 88, a welding operator may provide input to the welding system10 to signify that the workpiece 82 is ready to be calibrated. Incertain embodiments, the clamp used to secure the workpiece 82 to thewelding surface 88 may include markers that facilitate the weldingsystem 10 detecting that the workpiece 82 is clamped to the weldingsurface 88. After the welding system 10 receives an indication that theworkpiece 82 is clamped to the welding surface 88, the welding operatoruses the calibration tool 610 to identify two calibration points on theworkpiece 82. Where the clamp assembly 588 securing the workpiece 82 hasmarkers (e.g., visual markers 802), the measurements of the jointcalibration tool 610 may be relative to the markers of the clampassembly 588. Accordingly, the computer 18 may compensate for movementof the workpiece 82 and/or clamp assembly 588 after the joint has beencalibrated based on identification of the clamp markers. Specifically,in the illustrated embodiment, the welding operator touches the tip 614to a first calibration point and applies downward force using the handle612 until the welding system 10 detects a sufficient change in distancebetween adjacent markers, thereby indicating the first calibrationpoint. Furthermore, the welding operator touches the tip 614 to a secondcalibration point and applies downward force using the handle 612 untilthe welding system 10 detects a sufficient change in distance betweenadjacent markers, thereby indicating the second calibration point. Incertain embodiments, the welding system 10 will only detect acalibration point if the calibration tool 610 is pressed and held at thecalibration point for a predetermine period of time (e.g., 0.1., 0.3,0.5, 1.0, 2.0 seconds, and so forth). The welding system 10 may beconfigured to capture multiple calibration points (e.g., 50, 100, etc.)over the predetermined period of time and average them together. Ifmovement of the multiple calibration points greater than a predeterminedthreshold is detected, the calibration may be rejected and done over.Furthermore, if a first point is successfully calibrated, a second pointmay be required to be a minimum distance away from the first point(e.g., 2, 4, 6 inches, etc.). If the second point is not the minimumdistance away from the first point, calibration of the second point maybe rejected and done over. The welding system 10 uses the twocalibration points to calibrate the workpiece 82.

In certain embodiments, the welding system 10 may determine a virtualline between the first and second calibration points. The virtual linemay be infinitely long and extend beyond the first and secondcalibration points. The virtual line represents a weld joint. Variouswelding parameters (e.g., work angle, travel angle, contact tip-to-workdistance (CTWD), aim, travel speed, etc.) may be in reference to thisvirtual line. Accordingly, the virtual line may be important forcalculating the various welding parameters.

It should be noted that in certain embodiments the first, second, andthird markers 630, 632, and 638 are all disposed vertically above thehandle 612, while in other embodiments, one or more of the first,second, and third markers 630, 632, and 638 are disposed verticallybelow the handle 612 to enable a greater distance between adjacentmarkers. In certain embodiments, the first portion 624 may be removedfrom the calibration tool 610 and coupled to a contact tip of thewelding tool 14 for calibrating the welding tool 14. As may beappreciated, the tip 614 of the calibration tool 610 may be any suitableshape. FIGS. 39 through 41 illustrate a few embodiments of shapes thetip 614 may have.

Specifically, FIG. 39 is a side view of an embodiment of a pointed tip648 of the calibration tool 610. Using the pointed tip 648, thecalibration tool 610 may be used for calibrating various joints on theworkpiece 82, such as the illustrated fillet joint, a lap joint, a buttjoint with no root opening, and so forth. Moreover, FIG. 40 is a sideview of an embodiment of a rounded tip 650 of the calibration tool 610.Using the rounded tip 650, the calibration tool 610 may be used forcalibrating various joints on the workpiece 82, such as the illustratedfillet joint, a butt joint with a root opening, a lap joint, and soforth. Furthermore, FIG. 41 is a side view of an embodiment of therounded tip 650 of the calibration tool 610 having a small pointed tip652. Using the small pointed tip 652 on the end of the rounded tip 650,the calibration tool 610 may be used for calibrating various joints onthe workpiece 82, such as the illustrated butt joint with no rootopening, a filled joint, a lap joint, and so forth. In certainembodiments, the tip of the calibration tool 610 may be removable and/orreversible, such that the tip includes two different types of tips(e.g., one type of tip on each opposing end). Accordingly, a weldingoperator may select the type of tip used by the calibration tool 610. Incertain embodiments, one or more markers may be coupled to thecalibration tool 610 if the calibration tool 610 is reversible. The oneor more markers may be used to indicate which side of the tip is beingused so that the welding system 10 may use a suitable marker-tipdistance for calibration calculations.

FIG. 42 is an embodiment of a method 654 for detecting a calibrationpoint. The one or more sensing devices 16 (or another component of thewelding system 10) detect a first marker of the calibration tool 610, asecond marker of the calibration tool 610, and/or a third marker of thecalibration tool 610 (block 656). Moreover, the welding system 10determines a first distance between the first marker and the secondmarker and/or a second distance between the second marker and the thirdmarker (block 658). Furthermore, the welding system 10 detects whetherthe first distance or the second distance is within a predetermineddistance range (e.g., signifying a compressed distance) (block 660). Thewelding system 10 determines a position of a calibration point if thefirst distance or the second distance is within the predetermineddistance range (e.g., signifying a compressed distance) (block 662). Inaddition, the welding system 10 determines a location of a calibrationtip of the calibration tool 610 relative to at least one of the first,second, and third markers to determine the spatial position of thecalibration point (block 664).

FIG. 43 is an embodiment of a method 666 for determining a welding scorebased on a welding path. Accordingly, the method 666 may be used forevaluating a welding operation. The one or more sensing devices 16 (orany suitable motion tracking system) detect an initial position of thewelding operation (block 668). Moreover, the one or more sensing devices16 detect a terminal position of the welding operation (block 670). Inaddition, the one or more sensing devices 16 detect a spatial path ofthe welding operation between the initial position and the terminalposition (block 672). For example, the one or more sensing devices 16track a position and/or an orientation of the welding operation. Thewelding system 10 determines a score of the welding operation based atleast partly on the spatial path of the welding operation (e.g., whetherthe welding operation receives a passing score based on the spatial pathof the welding operation) (block 674). For example, in certainembodiments, the spatial path of the welding operation may alone be usedto determine whether a welding score fails. In some embodiments, the oneor more sensing devices 16 may be used to detect a calibration pointthat corresponds to the initial position and/or a calibration point thatcorresponds to the terminal position.

For example, in certain embodiments, the welding system 10 determineswhether the welding operation receives a passing score by determiningwhether: a distance of the path of the welding operation is greater thana predetermined lower threshold, the distance of the path of the weldingoperation is less than the predetermined lower threshold, the distanceof the path of the welding operation is greater than a predeterminedupper threshold, the distance of the path of the welding operation isless than the predetermined upper threshold, the path of the weldingoperation deviates substantially from a predetermined path of thewelding operation, the path of the welding operation indicates thatmultiple welding passes occurred at a single location along a weldjoint, a time of welding along the path of the welding operation isgreater than a predetermined lower threshold, the time of welding alongthe path of the welding operation is less than the predetermined lowerthreshold, the time of welding along the path of the welding operationis greater than a predetermined upper threshold, and/or the time ofwelding along the path of the welding operation is less than thepredetermined upper threshold.

Moreover, in some embodiments, for the welding system 10 to determine ascore, the welding system 10 may disregard a first portion of the pathadjacent to the initial position and a second portion of the pathadjacent to the terminal position. For example, the first portion of thepath and the second portion of the path may include a distance ofapproximately 0.5 inches. Moreover, in other embodiments, the firstportion of the path and the second portion of the path may includeportions of the path formed during a time of approximately 0.5 seconds.

FIG. 44 is an embodiment of a method 676 for transitioning betweenwelding modes using a user interface of the welding tool 14. The controlcircuitry 52 of the welding tool 14 (or control circuitry of anotherdevice) detects a signal produced by a user interface of the weldingtool 14 indicating a request to change the welding mode (e.g., weldingtraining mode) (block 678). Moreover, the control circuitry 52determines a length of time that the signal is detected (block 680). Thecontrol circuitry 52 is configured to change the welding mode from asimulation mode (e.g., virtual reality mode, augmented reality mode,etc.) to a live welding mode if the length of time that the signal isdetected is greater than a predetermined threshold (block 682).Conversely, the control circuitry 52 is configured to change the weldingmode from the live welding mode to the simulation mode merely if thesignal is detected (block 684) (e.g., there is no length of time thatthe signal is to be detected before a transition from the live weldingmode is made). The control circuitry 52 is configured to direct thewelding tool 14 to vibrate after changing to the live welding mode(block 686). For example, the control circuitry 52 may be configured todirect the welding tool 14 to vibrate two or more times (e.g., vibrationpulses) to indicate a change to the live welding mode.

Moreover, the control circuitry 52 may be configured to direct thewelding tool 14 to vibrate any suitable number of times (e.g.,predetermined number of times) to indicate a change to the live weldingmode. As may be appreciated, the signal indicating the request to changethe welding mode may be produced by pressing a button on the userinterface 60 of the welding tool 14. As such, the welding mode may bechanged from the live welding mode by pressing and releasing the button(e.g., the button does not have to be held down for a predeterminedperiod of time). In contrast, the welding mode may be changed from thesimulation mode to the live welding mode by pressing and holding thebutton for a predetermined period of time. In certain embodiments, anaudible sound may be produced after changing welding modes. Furthermore,in some embodiments an audible sound and a vibration may accompany anychange between welding modes. In addition, a display of the welding tool14 may show the welding mode after changing the welding mode. In someembodiments, the display may flash the welding mode on the display apredetermined number of times.

FIG. 45 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a remote training system,such as a helmet training system 41 (e.g., helmet). In some embodiments,the helmet 41 facilitates acquisition of welding parameters (e.g., awork angle, a travel angle, a contact tip to workpiece distance, awelding tool travel speed, a welding tool orientation, a welding toolposition, an aim of the welding tool relative to the joint of theworkpiece, and so forth) of a weld process and/or arc parameters (e.g.,a welding voltage, a welding current, wire feed speed) without utilizingthe welding stand 12 described above. As may be appreciated, operatorsutilize helmets during welding, and the helmet 41 integrates the one ormore sensing devices 16 (e.g., emitters, receivers) into the helmet.Various embodiments of the helmet 41 may incorporate the computer 18(e.g., as a controller), couple to the computer 18 via a wiredconnection, or couple to the computer via a wireless connection. In someembodiments, the helmet 41 utilizes a lens 700 to shield the operatorfrom the arc during a weld process. In some embodiments, the display 32is disposed within the helmet 41 such that the operator may view thedisplay 32 and the lens 700 in preparation for or during a weld process.The display 32 may be a heads-up display that is at least partiallyoverlaid with the operator's view through the helmet 41. As may beappreciated, the welding software may utilize the display 32 disposedwithin the helmet 41 to present information to the operator in a similarmanner as described above with the display 32 external to the helmet 41.For example, the display 32 of the helmet 41 may shows a visualrepresentation (e.g., number, text, color, arrow, graph) of one or morearc parameters, one or more welding parameters, or any combinationthereof. That is, the display 32 of the helmet 41 may display a visualrepresentation of a welding parameter in relation to a predeterminedthreshold range and/or to a target value for the welding parameteraccording to a selected welding assignment. In some embodiments, thedisplay 32 may show a graphical representation of a welding parameter oran arc parameter in relation to a threshold similar to the displays 62of the welding tool 14 described above with FIG. 27. Additionally, thedisplay 32 of the helmet 41 may show one or more parameters (e.g., arcparameters, welding parameters) before, during, or after the operatorusing the helmet 41 performs a welding session (e.g., weldingassignment).

The helmet 41 utilizes one or more integrated sensing devices 16 todetermine the welding parameters from observations of the welding tool14 and the workpiece 82. The one or more sensing devices 16 of thehelmet 41 may include one or more receivers 702 including, but notlimited to, microphones, cameras, infrared receivers, or any combinationthereof. Moreover, in some embodiments, one or more emitters 704 mayemit energy signals (e.g., infrared light, visible light,electromagnetic waves, acoustic waves), and reflections of the energysignals may be received by the one or more receivers 702. In someembodiments, fiducial points 706 (e.g., markers) of the welding tool 14and/or the workpiece 82 are active markers (e.g., LEDs) that emit energysignals, as discussed above with FIGS. 24 and 25. Accordingly, the oneor more receivers 702 of the helmet 41 may receive energy signalsemitted from active markers. In particular, the receivers 702 mayidentify fiducial points (e.g., markers) 706 disposed on the workpiece82, the work environment 708, and/or the welding tool 14, and thereceivers 702 may send feedback signals to the computer 18 (e.g.,controller) that correspond to the identified fiducial points. Asdiscussed above, arrangements of the identified fiducial points 706 mayenable the sensing device 16 to determine the position and orientationof the welding tool 14 in the work environment 708. The computer 18(e.g., controller) may determine the distances between the fiducialpoints 706 and may determine the welding parameters based at least inpart on the feedback from the receivers 702. Additionally, the computer18 (e.g., controller) may be coupled to sensors within the welding powersupply 28, the wire feeder 30, and/or the welding tool 14 to determinethe arc parameters of the welding process.

In some embodiments, the helmet 41 may determine the types of componentsof the welding system 10 from the identified fiducial points. Forexample, the fiducial points of a TIG welding tool are different thanthe fiducial points of a MIG welding tool. Moreover, the weldingsoftware 244 executed by the computer 18 may control the welding powersupply 28 and/or the wire feeder 30 based at least in part on thedetermined types of components of the welding system 10. For example,the helmet 41 may control the arc parameters (e.g., weld voltage, weldcurrent) based on the type of welding tool 14, the welding position ofthe workpiece 82, and/or the workpiece material. The helmet 41 may alsocontrol the arc parameters based on the experience or certificationstatus of the operator associated with the registration number 293. Forexample, the helmet 41 may control the welding power supply 28 to reducethe weld current available for selection by an operator with less than apredetermined threshold of experience with weld processes on relativelythin workpieces or in the overhead welding position. In someembodiments, the one or more sensing devices 16 of the helmet 41 includemotion sensors 709 (e.g., gyroscopes and accelerometers) that arecoupled to the computer 18. The motion sensors 709 may enable thecomputer 18 to determine the orientation and relative movement of thehelmet 41 within the environment.

In some embodiments, the helmet 41 includes the operator identificationsystem 43. The operator identification system 43 may utilize a scanner710 (e.g., fingerprint scanner, retinal scanner, barcode scanner) or aninput/output device 712 (e.g., keyboard, touch screen) to receive theidentification information from the operator. As discussed above, theidentification information may be associated with the registrationnumber 293 unique to the operator. Welding data received by the computer18 (e.g., controller) may be stored in the memory device(s) 22 orstorage device(s) 24, as discussed above. The computer 18 (e.g.,controller) may associate the received and stored welding data with theregistration number 293 of the identified operator. The network device36 couples to the network 38 via a wired or wireless connection to storethe welding data 327 from the helmet 41 in the data storage system 318(e.g., cloud storage system). In some embodiments the helmet 41 maystore welding data locally within the storage device(s) 24 of thecomputer 18 while the helmet 41 is operated remotely (e.g., productionfloor, worksite). The helmet 41 may be configured to upload storedwelding data to the data storage system 318 (e.g., cloud storage system)upon connection with the network 38, such as when the operator stows thehelmet 41 at the end of a shift or at the end of a work week. In someembodiments, the network device 36 of the helmet 41 may stream weldingdata to the data storage system 318 (e.g., cloud storage system) via thenetwork 38 during and/or after the operator performs a welding session.

As may be appreciated, using the systems, devices, and techniquesdescribed herein, a welding system 10 may be provided for trainingwelding operators. The welding system 10 may be cost efficient and mayenable welding students to receive high quality hands on training. Whilethe welding systems 10 described herein may be utilized for receivingand correlating weld data 327 for training and educational purposes, itmay be appreciated that the welding systems 10 described herein may beutilized to monitor operators and obtain weld data 327 from non-trainingweld processes. That is, weld data obtained from non-training weldprocesses may be utilized to monitor weld quality and/or weldproductivity of previously trained operators. For example, the weld data327 may be utilized to verify that welding procedures for a particularweld process were executed. As illustrated in FIG. 45, multiple weldingsystems 10 may be coupled to the data storage system 318 (e.g., cloudstorage system) via the network 38. Accordingly, the data storage system318 may receive welding data 327 associated with registration numbers293 from multiple welding systems 10 (e.g., systems with welding stands12, helmet training systems 41). Moreover, welding data associated witheach registration number 293 may include serial numbers 329corresponding to other welding sessions performed by the respectiveoperator. Moreover, as utilized herein, the term “assignment” is not tobe limited to weld tests performed by the operator for training andeducational purposes. That is, assignments may include non-training weldprocesses, training simulated weld processes, and training live weldprocesses, among others. Moreover, the term “welding session” mayinclude, but is not limited to, welding assignments, welds performed ona production floor, welds performed at a worksite, or any combinationthereof.

The welding data 327 of the data storage system 318 (e.g., cloud storagesystem) may be monitored and/or managed via a remote computer 44 coupledto the network 38. The stored welding data 327 corresponds to weldprocesses (e.g., live, simulated, virtual reality) performed by variousoperators at one or more locations. FIG. 46 illustrates an embodiment ofa user viewable dashboard screen 720 that may be utilized by a manageror instructor to monitor and/or analyze the stored welding data 327 inthe data storage system 318. The welding data 327 may be organized bycharacteristics (e.g., filter criteria) of the welding data 327.Characteristics of the welding data 327 that may be utilized for sortingthe welding data 327 may include, but are not limited to, one or moreorganizations 722 (e.g., training center, employer, work site), one ormore groups 724 (e.g., shift) within the organization, one or moreregistration numbers 726 of operators within the selected organizations722 or groups 724, time (e.g., dates 728, time of day) welding processeswere performed, systems 725, and weld identifications 730 (e.g.,particular welding assignments, unique identifier associated with awelding session, workpiece part number, or types of welds). For example,welding data 327 associated with one or more registration numbers 293over a period of time (e.g., dates 728) and across differentorganizations 722 or different groups 724 may be displayed on thedashboard screen 720. Accordingly, the manager or instructor may trackthe progress of an operator over time across different organizations viawelding data associated with the registration number 293 of theoperator. In some embodiments, a welding data type 732 (e.g., livetraining, live non-training, simulated, virtual reality) may be used tofilter the viewed welding data. Moreover, a welding process type 735(e.g., GMAW, TIG, SMAW) may be used to filter the viewed welding data insome embodiments. As may be appreciated, welding data for each weldingsession (e.g., welding assignment) may be sorted (e.g., filtered) intovarious subsets. As illustrated in FIG. 46, live, non-training weldsperformed by an operator with registration number 58,794 on Jun. 25,2014 with system I may be displayed on the dashboard screen 720 viaselection of one or more of the appropriate fields for registrationnumbers 726, systems 725, dates 728, and welding data types 732.

Additionally, or in the alternative, the instructor may utilize a searchcontrol 733 to search for welding data 327 associated with variousparameters (e.g., serial numbers 329, organization 722, group 724,operator name, registration number 726, time, welding data type)corresponding to welding sessions performed by operators. Upon selectionof a set of welding data, a section 734 of the dashboard screen 720 maydisplay graphical indicia (e.g., a score) associated with the selectedwelding data and/or at least a portion of the welding data. Moreover,details of the welding data 327 may be viewed upon selection of thewelding data 327 and a user control 736. The dashboard screen 720 mayenable the manager or instructor to save or edit the arrangement of thewelding data on the dashboard screen 720. Furthermore, the dashboardscreen 720 may enable the manager or instructor to export at least aportion of the welding data 327. For example, the manager may export thewelding data 327 corresponding to the sessions performed by a set ofoperators over the course of a day or a week. The dashboard screen 720may enable the manager or instructor to export the welding data 327 invarious formats, including but not limited to a comma-separated values(CSV) file, a spreadsheet file, and a text file. In some embodiments,the manager or instructor may remove a subset of welding data (e.g.,demonstration welding data) from the data storage system (e.g., cloudstorage system). Additionally, or in the alternative, the manager orinstructor may edit the welding data type 732, such as to revisetraining weld data as non-training weld data, revise the operatorassociated with welding data, revise the time associated with weldingdata, and so forth.

As may be appreciated, the dashboard screen 720 may enable the manageror instructor to monitor, compare, and analyze the welding dataassociated with one or more registration numbers 726. In someembodiments, the performance, experience, and historical data of weldingoperators may be compared across organizations or groups via theregistration numbers 726. In some embodiments, the dashboard screen 720may enable the manager or instructor to set goals or provide assignmentsto desired registration numbers 726. Furthermore, the manager orinstructor may monitor and adjust previously established goals. Thedashboard screen 720 may enable notes or comments regarding the weldingperformance associated with one or more registration numbers to beentered and stored with the welding data.

FIG. 47 illustrates an embodiment of the welding system 10 in thewelding environment 11 that may track the position and/or orientation ofthe welding tool 14 without utilizing markers 474 on the welding tool 14discussed above with respect to FIGS. 23-25. The welding system 10 ofFIG. 47 may track the position and/or orientation of the welding tool 14prior to conducting a welding process. In some embodiments, the weldingsystem 10 of FIG. 47 may track the position and/or orientation of thewelding tool 14 during the welding process. One or more depth sensors750 are arranged at various positions in the welding environment 11,such as a first depth sensor 752 above the workpiece 82, a second depthsensor 754 integrated with the welding helmet 41 (e.g., helmet trainingsystem), or a third depth sensor 756 horizontal with the workpiece 82,or any combination thereof. Each depth sensor 750 may have an emitterconfigured to emit a visible pattern at a desired wavelength and acamera configured to monitor the visible pattern in the weldingenvironment 11. The visible pattern emitted by each depth sensor 750 maybe the same or different than the visible pattern emitted by other depthsensors 750. Moreover, the desired wavelength of the visible pattern foreach depth sensor 750 may be the same or different among the depthsensors 750. FIG. 47 illustrates respective emitted visible patternsfrom each depth sensor 750 with solid arrows, and illustrates thepatterns reflected toward each depth sensor 750 with dashed arrows. Thewavelength of the visible patterns may be within the infrared, visible,or ultraviolet spectrum (e.g., approximately 1 mm to 120 nm). Theemitter of each depth sensor emits the respective visible pattern intothe welding environment 11 onto the welding surface 88, the workpiece82, the welding tool 14, or the operator, or any combination thereof. Byobserving the visible pattern reflected in the welding environment 11,the computer 18 may track objects (e.g., welding tool 14, operator)moving within the welding environment. Additionally, the computer 18 mayidentify the shape of the workpiece 82 or a welding joint path on theworkpiece 82 based upon observations of the visible pattern in thewelding environment 11.

As may be appreciated, an arc 758 struck by the welding tool 14 with theworkpiece 82 emits electromagnetic radiation. The wavelengths and theintensity of the emissions at each wavelength of the electromagneticradiation emitted by the arc may be based on a variety of factorsincluding, but not limited to, the workpiece material, the electrodematerial, the shielding gas composition, the weld voltage, the weldcurrent, the type of welding process (e.g., SMAW, MIG, TIG). In someembodiments, the one or more sensing devices 16 include a light sensorconfigured to detect the wavelengths electromagnetic radiation of thewelding environment 11 prior to and during welding processes. Thecomputer 18 of the welding system 10 may determine the emittedwavelengths and the intensity of the emitted wavelengths from theemitted based on feedback received from the one or more sensing devices16. Additionally, or in the alternative, the computer 18 may determinethe emitted wavelengths and the intensity of the emitted wavelengthsfrom data stored in memory of the computer 18 or the data storage system318, the welding parameters, and the arc parameters. For example, thecomputer 18 may determine that the arc for steel MIG welding hasdifferent predominant wavelengths than the arc for aluminum TIG welding.

In some embodiments, the wavelengths of the one or more visible patternsemitted by the depth sensors 750 may be selected to reduce noise fromthe arc 758 during welding processes. Furthermore, in some embodiments,the depth sensors 750 can vary the wavelength of the emitted visiblepattern. Accordingly, the computer 18 may adaptively control thewavelengths of the emitted visible patterns to improve the accuracy ofthe position and orientation determinations from the depth sensorfeedback. That is, the computer 18 may control the depth sensors 750 toemit the visible pattern in a first range for steel MIG welding, and toemit the visible pattern in a different second range for aluminum TIGwelding. Additionally, or in the alternative, the computer 18 may filterthe signals received by the depth sensors 750 to reduce or eliminate theeffects of the emissions by the arc 758.

Furthermore, the arc 758 may not be continuous during the weld formationfor some welding processes (e.g., short circuit MIG). The emittedelectromagnetic radiation when the arc 758 is out (e.g., during a shortcircuit phase of the welding process) may be substantially less than theemitted electromagnetic radiation when the arc 758 is live. The computer18 may control the depth sensors 750 to emit the respective visiblepatterns when the arc 758 rather than when the arc 758 is live, therebyenabling the depth sensors 750 to track the position and/or orientationof the welding tool 14 during the weld process. That is, the computer 18may synchronize the emitted visible patterns to substantially coincidewith the short circuit phases of the welding process. The short circuitfrequency may be greater than 30 Hz, thereby enabling the computer 18 todetermine the position and/or the orientation of the welding tool 14 inthe welding environment 11 at approximately 30 Hz or more.

Additionally, or in the alternative to the depth sensors 750, thewelding system 10 may utilize a local positioning system 762 todetermine the position of the welding tool 14 within the weldingenvironment 11. Beacons 764 of the local positioning system 762 arearranged at known locations about the welding environment and emitsignals 766 (e.g., ultrasonic, RF) received via one or more microphones429 on the welding tool. The computer 18 coupled to the one or moremicrophones 429 may determine the location of the welding tool 14 withinthe welding environment 11 based at least in part on received signalsfrom three or more beacons 764. The computer may determine the positionof the welding tool 14 via triangulation, trilateration, ormultilateration. More than three beacons 764 of the local positioningsystem 762 distributed about the welding environment 11 increase therobustness of the local positioning system 762 and increase thelikelihood that the welding tool 14 is within a line of sight of atleast three beacons 764 at any point along a workpiece 82 having acomplex shape (e.g., pipe). In some embodiments, beacons 764 may bepositioned with depth sensors 750 or components of the welding system10, such as the welding power supply 28.

Returning to FIGS. 24 and 25, embodiments of the welding tool 14 mayhave multiple sets of visual markers 802 to facilitate detection of theposition and the orientation of the welding tool 14 relative to thewelding stand 12 and to the workpiece 82. In some embodiments, thevisual markers 802 are LEDs 64 that may be independently controlled. Forexample, each set (e.g., first set 804, second set 806, third set 810)of LEDs 64 may be separately controlled so that only one set is turnedon and emits light at a time. Reducing the quantity of visual markers802 detectable by the one or more sensing devices 16 may reduce thecomplexity of the determination of the position and the orientation ofthe welding tool 14. That is, the one or more sensing devices 16 mayreadily determine which side (e.g., top, left, right) of the weldingtool 14 is facing the one or more sensing devices 16 based on thearrangement of the detected LEDs 64 when only one set of LEDs 64 isturned on at a time. The control circuitry 52 of the welding tool 14 maycontrol the LEDs 64 so that at least one set of the LEDs 64 isdetectable by the one or more sensing devices 16 during a simulated orlive welding session (e.g., live welding assignment).

The processor 20 coupled to the one or more sensing devices 16 and/orthe control circuitry 52 may determine which set of LEDs 64 to turn onto track the movement and position of the welding tool 14 utilizing amethod 860 illustrated in FIG. 48. As may be appreciated, the method 860may be performed by a controller, which includes, but is not limited tothe processor 20, the control circuitry 52, or a combination thereof.Generally, the controller may turn on each set of LEDs 64 sequentiallyfor a detection interval, then compare the response detected by the oneor more sensing devices 16 from each set to determine which set of LEDs64 enables better tracking data. For example, the controller may turn on(block 862) the left set (e.g., second set 806) of LEDs 64. Thecontroller determines (node 864) whether the left set of LEDs 64 isdetected within the detection interval (e.g., approximately 50 to 500ms). If the left set of LEDs 64 is not detected at node 864, thecontroller may turn on (block 866) the top set (e.g., first set 802) ofLEDs 64. The controller then determines (node 868) whether the top setof LEDs 64 is detected. If the top set of LEDs 64 is not detected atnode 868, the controller may turn on (block 870) the right set (e.g.,third set 810) of LEDs 64. The controller then determines (node 872)whether the right set of LEDs 64 is detected. If the right set of LEDs64 is not detected at node 872, then the controller may return to thestart of the method 860, and turn on (block 862) the left set of LEDs64. In some embodiments, the controller may repeat method 860 to turn oneach set of LEDs 64 in sequence until at least one set of LEDs 64 isdetected during the detection interval.

As discussed herein, when the controller determines whether a set ofLEDs 64 is detected (e.g., nodes 864, 868, 872), the controller maydetermine whether the threshold quantity of LEDs 64 for the respectiveset is detected. As discussed above, the threshold quantity may be lessthan or equal to the total quantity of visual markers (e.g., LEDs 64) ofa respective set. In some embodiments, the controller is configured todetermine a rigid body (RB) model of the welding tool 14 upon detectionof the threshold quantity of LEDs 64. The controller determines (nodes874) which rigid body model corresponding to tracked sets of LEDs 64 isthe closest to an ideal model. As may be appreciated, the ideal modelmay correspond to when a set of LEDs 64 is directed directly towards theone or more sensing devices 16 within a predetermined range of angles(e.g., approximately 20, 30, 45, or 60 degrees). Furthermore, each setof LEDs 64 side may have its own predetermined range of angles, such asapproximately 45 degrees for the top set of LEDs 64 and approximately 30degrees for the left and right sets of LEDs 64. In some embodiments, thefirst set 802 of LEDs 64 may approximate the ideal model when the Y-axis784 relative to the welding tool 14 is directed to the one or moresensing devices 16. If the determined rigid body model of the weldingtool 14 corresponding to one set of LEDs 64 (e.g., second set 806) doesnot approximate the ideal model, the controller may turn off the one setand turn on the next set (e.g., first set 802) of LEDs 64 to determineif an approximately ideal rigid body model may be detected with the nextset. Additionally, or in the alternative, the controller may utilize thedetected non-ideal angle of one set (e.g., first set 804) of LEDs 64 andthe predetermined relative angles of the other sets (e.g., second set806, third set 810) of LEDs 64 to determine which set (e.g., third set810) of LEDs 64 corresponds closest to the ideal model, thereby enablingthe controller to turn on that set (e.g., third set 810) of LEDs 64directly without turning on other sets (e.g., second set 806). Thecontroller may be configured to latch to a set of turned on LEDs 64 whenthe determined rigid body model approximates the ideal model.

In some embodiments, a set of LEDs 64 may approximate the ideal modelwhen LEDs 64 are oriented within approximately 20 to 60 degrees orapproximately 30 to 50 degrees of the one or more sensing devices 16.Accordingly, based on the orientation of the sets of LEDs 64, someembodiments of the controller may be able to determine a rigid bodymodel corresponding to more than one set of LEDs 64 at a time. Wheremultiple rigid body models may be determined, the controller maydetermine which set of LEDs 64 is most oriented toward the one or moresensing devices 16. Moreover, the controller may utilize a hysteresiscontrol when the welding tool orientation fluctuates near an anglethreshold where multiple rigid body models may be determined respectivesets of LEDs 64. As discussed above, the first set 802 of LEDs 64 may beoriented approximately along the Y-axis 784, and the second set 806 ofLEDs 64 may be oriented so that the second direction 808 is offsetapproximately 45 degrees from the Y-axis 784. In some embodiments, rigidbody models may be determined for each respective set of LEDs 64oriented within approximately 30° of the one or more sensing devices 16,such that rigid body models for each respective set may be determinedfor an overlapping range of approximately 15°. Utilizing the hysteresiscontrol, the controller may remain latched to the first set 802 of LEDs64 when the first set 802 is oriented within approximately 25° offsetfrom the Y-axis 784 and within approximately 20° offset from the seconddirection 808. That is, the hysteresis control may reduce the turningoff and on sets of LEDs 64 when multiple sets of LEDs 64 may bedetectable by the one or more sensing devices 16 and prevents rapidoscillation between sets of LEDs 64 when the welding tool 14 is orientednear the threshold between sets of LEDs 64.

Upon latching to a set of LEDs 64 that approximate the ideal model, thecontroller (blocks 876) may update the items displayed on the display 32of the welding system 10, the display 32 of the helmet 41, and/or thedisplay 62 of the welding tool 14 based at least in part on the positionand orientation determined from the tracked set of LEDs 64. Thecontroller may maintain the status (e.g., on, off) of each set of LEDs64 while the determined rigid body model approximates the ideal model.In some embodiments, the controller may repeat method 860 at intervalsduring operation, thereby turning on each set of LEDs 64 sequentially toverify that the determined rigid body model of the latched set of LEDs64 most approximates the ideal model. For example, the controller mayrepeat method 860 every 1, 5, or 15 minutes. Additionally, or in thealternative, the controller may repeat method 860 upon receipt of anassignment, selection of an assignment, upon lifting the welding tool 14from the welding stand 12, or any combination thereof.

As discussed above, various elements of the welding system 10 may havemarkers that for utilization to track movement of the respective elementwithin the welding environment in real-time and/or to calibrate theposition and orientation of the element relative to the welding stand 12or to the workpiece 82. For example, the welding stand 12 of FIG. 3 mayhave the first and second markers 95, 96, the welding surface 112 mayhave the markers 116, 118, the calibration tool 120 of FIG. 4 may havethe markers 130, the fixture assembly 132 of FIG. 5 may have the firstand second markers 134, 136, and the welding tool 14 of FIG. 23 may havethe visual markers 802. FIG. 49 illustrates a cross-sectional view of abase component 880 that may be provided with visual markers 882. Thebase component 880 may include, but is not limited to, the welding stand12, the workpiece 82, the welding surface 112, the calibration tool 120,the fixture assembly 132, the welding tool 14, the clamp assembly 588,or any combination thereof.

The base component 880 may be coated with a thermally insulating layer884 (e.g., plastic, fabric, ceramic, resin, glass). The thermallyinsulating layer 884 may be wrapped about, molded to, mechanicallyfastened to, or bonded to the base component 880. As may be appreciated,the base component 880 may receive or conduct thermal heat from thewelding process. The visual markers 882 may be positioned at distinctlocations on the insulating layer 884 of the base component 880. Thevisual markers 882 may be readily detectable by the one or more sensingdevices 16. For example, the visual markers 882 may be reflective to oneor more electromagnetic waves. For example, the visual markers 882 mayreflect visible and/or infrared (IR) light. The position of the eachvisual marker 882 may be configured to enable the one or more sensingdevices 16 to determine the position and the orientation of the basecomponent 880 within the welding environment. The visual markers 882 maybe positioned on one or more faces of the base component 880. Differentquantities and/or arrangements of the visual markers 882 on each side ofthe base component 880 may facilitate identification of the respectivesides based on detection of the arrangement of the visual markers 882.

A cover layer 886 (e.g., cover plate) is coupled to the insulating layer884 and to the visual markers 882. The cover layer 886 may cover thevisual markers 882, thereby shielding the visual markers 882 from someenvironmental factors, such as spatter, dust, unintentional removal, andso forth. In some embodiments, the cover layer 886 does not cover oronly partially covers the visual markers 882. In some embodiments, thecover layer 886 is a plastic, such as polycarbonate. The cover layer 886may be a material that is not substantially reflective of one or moreelectromagnetic waves that are reflected by the markers 882.Additionally, or in the alternative, the cover layer 886 may beconditioned to reduce or eliminate reflections of electromagnetic waves.For example, the cover layer 886 may be painted, coated, or roughened(e.g., sandblasted), or any combination thereof. In some embodiments,the cover layer 886 is substantially non-reflective except in an areaimmediately covering the visual markers 882.

FIG. 50 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the welding stand 12,the arms 576, 578, and the clamp assembly 588. As discussed above, thefirst and second arms 576, 578 are rotatable about the support structure566 to enable the first and second arms 576, 578 to be positioned at aselected height for vertical and/or overhead welding. As illustrated,the second arm 578 includes a clamp assembly 588 for coupling theworkpiece 82 to the second arm 578. The second arm 578 and the clampassembly 588 may be positioned at various heights relative the weldingstand 12. Additionally, or in the alternative, the clamp assembly 588may be coupled to each arm 576, 578, and the clamp assembly 588 may beoriented in various directions relative to the sensing device 16. As maybe appreciated, the clamp assembly 588 may include multiple visualmarkers 802 markers (e.g., reflective and/or light emitting) tofacilitate tracking by the sensing device 16. For example, in certainembodiments, the clamp assembly 588 may include three markers on onesurface (e.g., in one plane) of a clamp body 889, and a fourth marker onanother surface (e.g., in a different plane) to facilitate tracking bythe one or more sensing devices 16. A clamp face 890 of the clamp body889 may be substantially parallel to a sensing device 16, or oriented atan offset angle from a sensing device 16. A mount 892 couples the clampassembly 588 to the second arm 578.

FIG. 51 is a top view of an embodiment of the mount 892 of the clampassembly 588 of FIG. 50, taken along line 51-51. A clamp axle 900couples the mount 892 to the clamp body 889. In some embodiments, aretaining feature 902 of the clamp axle 900 may limit the movement ofthe clamp axle 900 along a clamp axis 904 in at least one direction.Furthermore, a clamp fastener 906 may interface with the retainingfeature 902 and the mount 892 to retain the clamp axle 900 in a desiredposition along the clamp axis 904. The mount 892 may rotate about anaxis 908, thereby adjusting the orientation of the clamp body 889 andthe clamp face 890 relative to a sensing device 16. In some embodiments,a fastener 910 (e.g., pin) may couple the mount 892 to the second arm578 at a desired orientation. The fastener 910 may be fixedly coupled tothe mount 892, thereby preventing removal of the fastener 910 from thewelding system 10. In some embodiments, the retaining feature 902 and/orthe fastener 910 may be biased (e.g., spring loaded) with respect to theclamp assembly 588, thereby enabling automatic engagement with the clampassembly 588 in one or more predetermined positions. For example,inserting the fastener 910 into a first recess 912 orients the clampface 890 in a first direction 914 substantially parallel to a sensingdevice 16, inserting the fastener 910 into a second recess 916 orientsthe clamp face 890 in a second direction 918, and inserting the fastener910 into a third recess 920 orients the clamp face 890 in a thirddirection 922. The second and third directions 918 and 922 may beoriented within approximately 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 degrees of direction914 (e.g., towards a sensing device 16). The second and third directions918 and 922 of FIG. 51 are approximately 30° offset from the firstdirection 914. When the clamp assembly 588 is mounted on the second arm578 and the clamp face is oriented in the second direction 918, theclamp assembly 588 may be configured for welding in positions in which aportion of the workpiece 82 may obscure part of the joint from view ofthe one or more sensing devices 16. For example, welds performed in the3F position (e.g., vertical fillet welds of T and lap joints) may bereadily observed by the one or more sensing devices 16 when theworkpiece 82 is coupled to the clamp assembly 588 on the second arm 578such that the clamp face 890 is oriented in the second direction 918.

The position and the orientation of the arms and respective clampassemblies are calibrated to enable the one or more sensing devices 16to track the movement of the welding tool 14 relative to a joint of theworkpiece 82 coupled to the clamp assembly 588. As illustrated in FIG.52, a calibration block 930 may be coupled to the clamp assembly 588 tofacilitate the calibration of the clamp assembly 588. In someembodiments, the calibration tool 610 of FIGS. 37 and 38 is coupled tothe calibration block 930 such that the calibration tool 610 extendsfrom the calibration block 930 at a predefined angle (e.g.,perpendicular). The calibration block 930 and the calibration tool 610may enable the one or more sensing devices 16 to calibrate the normalvector of the clamp assembly 588, to calibrate the normal vector ofworkpieces 82 secured to the clamp assembly 588, and/or to calibrate thetrue vertical (i.e., zenith) vector relative to the floor. The one ormore sensing devices 16, via the computer 18, may determine a rigid bodymodel and/or a centroid of clamp markers for the clamp assembly 588 whenmounted to each arm 576, 578, during which different sides of the clampassembly 588 are in view of the one or more sensing devices 16 whereeach side of the clamp assembly 588 has a unique configuration ofmarkers. The one or more sensing devices 16 may be coupled to the arms576, 578 so that as each arm is raised and lowered, a y-value of acentroid of the clamp markers of the respective side changes. Asdiscussed above, movement of each arm 576, 578 may adjust theorientation of the one or more sensing devices 16. Accordingly the oneor more sensing devices 16 may determine the y-value of the centroid ofclamp markers for the clamp assembly 588 at multiple heights of therespective arms 576, 578. The computer 18 may determine the zenithvector for each of the centroids at the respective heights, therebyenabling the computer 18 to determine (e.g., interpolate) the zenithvector for any height using the y-value of the centroid of clamp markerswhen the clamp assembly 588 is coupled to each arm 576, 578. A level maybe utilized with the clamp calibration block 930 during calibration ateach height to ensure the orientation of calibration tool 610 accuratelyrepresents the zenith vector. The y-value of the centroid of clampmarkers can also be used to determine the height of the clamp and toprovide the operator with feedback on correct height positioning forwelding session. The height of the clamp assembly 588 during a weldingsession may be stored with the welding data 327 for each weldingsession. In some embodiments, the welding system 10 may determine theorientation of the clamp assembly 588 relative to the sensing device 16,thereby enabling the welding system 10 to notify the operator if theworkpiece 82 is in an improper orientation for the welding session. Forexample, the welding system 10 may notify the operator when the clampassembly 588 and workpiece 82 are oriented such that the visual markers802 of the welding tool 14 would be at least partially obscured fromview of the one or more sensing devices 16 during the welding session,thereby enabling the operator to adjust the clamp assembly 588 so thatall of the visual markers 802 may be observed.

FIG. 53 is a flowchart 940 that illustrates the set up and execution ofassignment welding session utilizing one of the arms for a vertical oroverhead (e.g., out of position) session. The operator selects (block942) an out of position session (e.g., 2G, 3G, 3F, 4G, 4F) and tacks(block 944) the workpiece together. The operator then sets up (block946) the desired arm to the height corresponding to the session andadjusts the clamp assembly for calibration with the sensing device. Uponsetup of the arm and clamp assembly, the operator couples (block 948)the workpiece to the clamp assembly. Then the operator may adjust (block950) the clamp orientation, such as if the workpiece at least partiallyobscures the joint from the sensing device, if markers of the workpieceor clamp assembly are obscured from the sensing device, or if the clampassembly is not substantially perpendicular to the ground, or anycombination thereof. After adjusting the clamp orientation, theoperator, an instructor, or an administrator may calibrate (block 952)the clamp assembly. In some embodiments, the calibration may beperformed once for each occasion that the arm is moved or for eachoccasion that the clamp assembly is attached to the arm, such that theclamp assembly may not calibrated prior to each session. The calibrationof the clamp assembly may validate that the clamp assembly is detectedin the configuration and/or orientation specified for the session. Theoperator calibrates (block 954) the joint ends, thereby establishing the2 points in a line representing the joint. In some embodiments, such asfor welding sessions in the 3F position, the operator calibrates (block954) the joint ends utilizing the calibration tool 610 described abovewith FIGS. 37 and 38, where an axis of the calibration tool is heldwithin approximately 5° of parallel to the sensing device. As may beappreciated, welding sessions in other positions may be calibrated withthe calibration tool having other orientations relative to the sensingdevice. Additionally, or in the alternative, the computer may compensatefor orientations of the calibration tool during calibrations where themarkers of the calibration tool are observed at a skewed angle. Forexample, the computer may determine the angle of the calibration toolrelative to the clamp assembly, then utilize the determined angle toadjust calibration values of the joint ends. After the calibration ofthe joint ends, then the operator performs (block 956) the weldingsession and reviews (block 958) the results. In some embodiments, thedisplay of the welding stand 12 and/or the display of the welding tool14 may provide instructions to the operator to guide the setup for thewelding session.

The one or more sensing devices 16 may track the position andorientation of the clamp assembly 588, the workpiece 82, and the weldingtool 14 prior to performing assignment welding session, during thewelding session, and after performing the welding session. As discussedabove, the one or more sensing devices 16 may include a camera thatdetects visual markers 802, such as visual markers of the clamp assembly588, the workpiece 82, and the welding tool 14. In some embodiments, thecomputer 18 may utilize data corresponding to the visual markers 802 offixed surfaces (e.g., the clamp assembly 588, the workpiece 82) forreference with respect to other tracked objects in the weldingenvironment whenever the visual markers 802 of the fixed surfaces aredetectable. That is, the visual markers 802 of the fixed surfacesfacilitate real-time tracking of other objects (e.g., welding tool 14,calibration tool 610) within the welding environment. The visual markers802 detected by the camera of the sensing device 16 may include passivemarkers (e.g., stickers, reflectors, patterns) and/or active markers(e.g., lights, LEDs). The passive markers may be best observed with afirst exposure setting of the cameras of the one or more sensing devices16, and the active markers may be best observed with a second exposuresetting of the camera, which may be different than the first exposuresetting. In some embodiments, the visual markers 802 of the clampassembly 588 and the workpiece 82 may be passive markers, and the visualmarkers 802 of the welding tool 14 may be active markers (e.g., LEDs64). Moreover, the passive markers may be illuminated by lights (e.g.,LEDs 64) of the sensing device 16, where light (e.g., infrared light)from the lights reflects off the passive markers and is observed bycameras of the one or more sensing devices 16. Accordingly, the exposuresetting of the camera may be adjusted based at least in part on the typeof visual marker to be observed. As may be appreciated, the secondexposure setting for sampling the active markers that emit light may beless than the first exposure setting for sampling the passive markersthat reflect light.

The computer 18 may alternately track the visual markers 802 of thewelding tool 14 and the fixed surfaces of the welding environment priorto performing and during performance of a welding session (e.g.,simulated welding assignment, live welding assignment). Accordingly, thecomputer 18 may track in real-time the position and the orientation ofthe welding tool 14, the clamp assembly 588, and the workpiece 82relative to each other and to the welding stand 12. Prior to livewelding, the computer 18 may primarily track the visual markers 802 ofwelding tool 14 when detecting the position and orientation of objectsin the welding environment about the welding stand 12, and the computer18 may secondarily track the visual markers 802 of the fixed surfaces(e.g., main welding surface 88, clamp assembly 588, clamped workpiece82). The active markers of the welding tool 14 may be turned onsubstantially continuously before, during, and after a simulated or livewelding session (e.g., welding assignment). The computer 18 may controlthe exposure setting of the cameras of the one or more sensing devices16 to control the respective sampling rates of the fixed surfaces andthe welding tool 14. For example, the visual markers 802 of the weldingtool 14 may be sampled 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more times than the visualmarkers 802 of the fixed surfaces are sampled. That is, the computer 18cycles the exposure setting of the camera between the second exposuresetting (e.g., low exposure value to track the active markers of thewelding tool 14) and the first exposure setting (e.g., high exposurevalue to track the passive markers of the fixed surfaces).

Prior to initiating a simulated welding session (e.g., weldingassignment), the computer 18 may control the lights of the one or moresensing devices 16 (e.g., LEDs 64) to be turned on, thereby enabling thecomputer 18 to track the passive markers of the fixed surface and theactive markers of the welding tool 14 prior to initiating the simulatedwelding session, during the simulated welding session, and after thesimulated welding session. As described above, the computer 18 may cyclethe exposure setting of the camera to sample the passive markers withthe first exposure setting and to sample the active markers with thesecond exposure setting. During live welding (e.g., while the trigger ofthe welding tool 14 is actuated), the computer 18 may control the lightsof the one or more sensing devices 16 to pulse at an increasedbrightness level, thereby cyclically increasing the reflected light fromthe passive markers. Pulsing the lights may enable the cameras of theone or more sensing device 16 to readily track the passive markers witha reduced exposure setting during live welding with the bright arc andspatter. The computer 18 may control the exposure setting of the camerato be synchronized with the pulsing of the lights of the sensing device16, such that the lights pulse more brightly when the exposure settingis at the first (e.g., high) exposure setting, and the lights dim whenthe exposure setting is at the second (e.g., low) exposure setting.Additionally, or in the alternative, the computer 18 may control thelights of the one or more sensing devices 16 to turn off duringcalibration of the clamp assembly 588, thereby distinguishing the activemarkers of the welding tool 14 from the passive markers of the clampassembly 588. In some embodiments, a pulsed brightness level of thelights of the one or more sensing devices 16 may be greater than whenthe lights turned on substantially continuously. The one or more sensingdevices 16 may more readily detect the passive markers at the greaterbrightness level of the lights than at the lower brightness level.However, pulsing the lights of the one or more sensing devices 16 duringa simulated weld may unintentionally activate an auto-darkening circuitof a welding helmet. Accordingly, the lights of the one or more sensingdevices 16 may be pulsed during live welding when the welding helmet isdarkened due to the arc, yet the lights of the one or more sensingdevices 16 are turned continuously on during simulated welding when thewelding helmet is not darkened.

In some embodiments, the welding system 10 may track a multi-pass (e.g.,multi-run) session, thereby recording welding data 327 for each pass(e.g., run) of the multi-pass session. As discussed above, the controlcircuitry 52 of the welding system 10 may record the welding data 327for each run of the multi-run session as a single welding operation fordetermining a quality of the multi-run session or for otherwisereviewing the multi-run session. In some embodiments, the controlcircuitry 52 of the welding system 10 may record welding data 327 for amulti-run session as a group of runs that correspond to a serial numberor other identifier for the multi-run session. That is, the welding data327 for a multi-run session may be reviewed and evaluated as a group, oreach run of the multi-run session may be reviewed and evaluatedseparately. Multi-run sessions may include, but are not limited to alive process, a simulated process, a virtual reality process, or anycombination thereof.

FIG. 54 is a flowchart 970 that illustrates the selection and executionof a multi-pass (e.g., multi-run) welding session (e.g., weldingassignment). The operator selects (block 972) a multi-run session andsets up (block 974) the workpiece 82 together on the welding stand 12.Set up of the workpiece 82 may include clamping the workpiece 82 to thewelding stand 12. The operator calibrates (block 976) the joint, such asby utilizing the joint calibration tool 610 to calibrate the position ofa first end of the joint and the second end of the joint. As may beappreciated, the joint calibration tool 610 may directly interface withthe workpiece 82 for the calibration (block 976) prior to the first runof the multi-run session. The operator selects (node 978) whether toperform the next (i.e., first) run of the multi-run session in asimulated welding mode or a live welding mode. In some embodiments, theselected welding session (e.g., welding assignment) may prohibit orlimit the quantity of simulated welds that may be performed prior tolive welds. In some embodiments, the selected session may prohibit thelive welding mode until completion (e.g., satisfactory completion) of asimulated weld. When the simulated weld mode is selected, the operatorperforms (block 980) the simulated run. The control circuitry 52 maydisplay (block 982) the results of the simulated run via the display 32of the welding stand 12 and/or the display 62 of the welding tool 14.For example, the control circuitry 52 may display the weld data 327 fromthe simulated run and the target specifications for the simulated run.Additionally, or in the alternative, the control circuitry may displaythe weld score for the simulated run. After completing the simulatedrun, the operator again selects (nodes 978) whether to perform the nextrun in the simulated welding mode or in the live welding mode.

When the live welding mode is selected, the operator performs (block984) the live weld run on the calibrated joint. The control circuitry 52may display (block 986) the results of the live run via the display 32of the welding stand 12 and/or the display 62 of the welding tool 14.For example, the control circuitry 52 may display the weld data 327 fromthe live run and the target specifications for the live run.Additionally, or in the alternative, the control circuitry 52 maydisplay the weld score for the live run. The displayed results for thelive run may be displayed with results of any previous simulated runsfor the same joint.

Each run (e.g., simulated or live) of the multi-run welding session(e.g., welding assignment) may be evaluated separately based at least inpart on target specifications (e.g., minimum, goal, maximum) for toolposition parameters (e.g., work angle, travel angle, CTWD, travel speed,aim) and/or electrical parameters (e.g., weld voltage, weld current,wire feed speed). For example, a rootpass run may have differentspecification parameters than subsequent runs. After a run of themulti-run session is completed, the control circuitry 52 may determinewhether the completed run of the session satisfies the target parametervalues for the respective run. For example, the welding data 327 for arun of the multi-run session may be compared with the target parametervalues to generate a score for each parameter and/or a total score forthe respective run. The control circuitry 52 may determine whether therun passes the target specifications for the respective run.

The control circuitry 52 determines (node 988) whether all of the runsof the selected welding session (e.g., welding assignment) have beencompleted. If all of the runs of the selected multi-run session have notbeen completed, then the operator selects (block 990) the next run. Insome embodiments, the operator may proceed to the next run of themulti-run session regardless of whether the previous run passes thetarget specifications. Additionally, or in the alternative, the operatormay proceed to the next run of the multi-run session regardless ofwhether the weld data 327 for the previous run is complete. For example,if the one or more sensing devices 16 cannot track the position and theorientation of the welding tool 14 for at least a portion of a run ofthe multi-run session, the operator may continue performing each run ofthe multi-run session. The operator calibrates (block 976) the joint foreach run of a multi-run session, such as by utilizing the jointcalibration tool 610 to calibrate the position of a first end of thejoint and the second end of the joint. As may be appreciated, jointcalibration tool 610 may have directly interfaced with the workpiece 82for the initial calibration of the joint prior to the first run.Subsequent calibrations may directly interface the joint calibrationtool 610 with the previously formed weld bead of one or more previousruns. Accordingly, the calibrated ends of the joint for each run mayhave a different position relative to the one or more sensing devices 16of the welding system 10. When the subsequent calibration for the nextrun is completed, the operator again selects (nodes 978) whether toperform the next run in the simulated welding mode or in the livewelding mode.

If all of the runs of the selected multi-run session have beencompleted, then the control circuitry 52 may display (block 992) theresults of each of the live runs via the display 32 of the welding stand12 and/or the display of the welding tool 14. For example, the controlcircuitry 52 may display the weld data 327 from each of the live runsand the target specifications for each of the live runs. Additionally,or in the alternative, the control circuitry 52 may determine whetherthe group of runs passes the target specifications for the multi-runsession based on one or more evaluations of the runs. For example, thecontrol circuitry 52 may evaluate the group of runs based on a geometricmean of the scores for each run, an arithmetic mean of the scores foreach run, whether each run was completed with a passing score, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, a threshold quantity (e.g., 1,2, or 3) of runs with untracked welding tool position and orientationmay not affect the evaluation of the multi-run session. That is, the oneor more runs with untracked welding tool position and orientation maynot be counted in the geometric and/or arithmetic mean. Upon display ofthe session results (block 992), the operator may select (block 994) toretest with selected session. The operator removes the previously testedjoint, and sets up (block 974) a new joint for the retest. The controlcircuitry 52 may assign a different serial number to the new joint forthe retest than the serial number of the previously tested joint,thereby enabling the operator and an instructor to review and evaluatethe weld data 327 from each joint.

As described herein, various parameters may be tracked (e.g., detected,displayed, and stored) during operation of the welding system 10 (e.g.,in real-time while the welding system 10 is being used) including, butnot limited to, tool position parameters (e.g., work angle, travelangle, CTWD, travel speed, aim) and arc parameters (e.g., weld voltage,weld current, wire feed speed). The arc parameters, for example, may bedetected in the welding tool 14 (e.g., using the voltage sensor 425, thecurrent sensor 427, or other sensors, as illustrated in FIG. 18),converted using analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) circuitry, andcommunicated to the computer 18 via a communication interface 68 (e.g.,RS-232 communication channel), as discussed herein with respect toFIG. 1. Alternatively to, or in addition to, being detected in thewelding tool 14 (e.g., in the handle of the welding tool 14), the arcparameters may be detected in the weld cable 80, the welding powersupply 28, the wire feeder 30, or some combination thereof, each ofwhich are illustrated in FIG. 2.

The welding system 10 may detect and display (e.g., numerically,graphically, and so forth) the arc parameters via a screen viewable onthe display 32 of the welding system 10. An exemplary screen 996 havinga weld mode indicator 998 that indicates that the welding system 10 isin a live-arc weld mode may be displayed on the display 32 isillustrated in FIG. 55. As illustrated in FIG. 55, the arc parametersmay be displayed on the screen 996. For example, in the illustratedscreen 996, a voltage graph 340 may display a time series of voltage 337of the arc produced by the welding tool 14, and an amperage graph 340may display a time series of the current 338 produced by the weldingtool 14. In certain embodiments, filters may be applied to at least someof the arc parameters and the tool position parameters to smooth outnoise in the time series graphs 340 of the values detected by thewelding tool 14.

It will be appreciated that the arc parameters may be time synchronizedby the welding software 244 in real-time with the tool positionparameters that is captured through the motion tracking system (e.g.,the one or more sensing devices 16). In other words, the arc parametersand the tool position parameters may all be graphed on their respectivegraphs 340 such that data points for each of the time series arevertically aligned with data points from each of the other time seriesthat are captured at approximately the same time (e.g., within 100milliseconds, within 10 milliseconds, or even closer in time, in certainembodiments). This enables the user to correlate the arc parameters withthe tool position parameters. Although not illustrated in FIG. 55, incertain embodiments, wire feed speed may also be detected in real-timein the same manner as voltage and current.

As illustrated in FIG. 55, in certain embodiments, each arc parameter(as well as each tool position parameter) may be individually scored inrelation to a pre-defined upper limit, lower limit, and/or target value,and the scores 341 may be depicted on the screen 996. In addition, incertain embodiments, a total score 1000 may be determined by the weldingsoftware 244 and depicted on the screen 996. In addition, in certainembodiments, the total score 1000, indications of target total scores1002 and high total scores 1004 (for example, of an entire class) may bedetermined by the welding software 244 and depicted on the screen 996.In addition, in certain embodiments, an indication 1006 of whether thetest was successful or not successful may also be determined by thewelding software 244 and depicted on the screen 996. In certainembodiments, the total score 1000 may be based on the individual scores341 for the tool position parameters, but not based on the individualscores 341 for the arc parameters.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 55, in certain embodiments, anoverall status bar 1008 may be depicted on the screen 996. The overallstatus bar 1008 may include indications of whether all of the toolposition parameters are within their respective upper and lower limitsor not. For example, if one of the tool position parameters are notwithin their respective upper and lower limits, the overall status bar1008 may indicate, at the same vertical position on the screen 996 asthe corresponding tool position parameter values, a red status.Conversely, if all of the tool position parameters are within theirrespective upper and lower limits, the overall status bar 1008 mayindicate, at the same vertical position on the screen 996 as thecorresponding tool position parameter values, a green status. It will beappreciated that other status colors may be used in other embodiments.

As illustrated, in certain embodiments, the value 339 for each of theparameters (e.g., the tool position parameters and the arc parameters)may be displayed as an average value over the course of a test period.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 55, the average voltage and amperageover the test period depicted are 18.7 volts and 146 amps, respectively.FIG. 56 is another illustration of the screen 996 depicted in FIG. 55.In this instance, the average voltage and amperage is depicted as being0.1 volts and 2 amps, respectively, which are on the order of noise,indicating that an actual welding arc is not being detected. In such asituation, the amperage and voltage can be used by the welding software244 to determine whether or not welding took place during a given “weldmode” test period. If the value of either voltage or amperage is below acertain predetermined threshold (e.g., the average voltage is less than10 volts) or between a certain predetermined minimum and maximumthreshold (e.g., the average voltage is between −8 volts and +10 volts),the welding software 244 may determine that a weld actually did not takeplace during the time period. In such a scenario, the welding software244 may automatically mark a test as failed (or “unsuccessful”) and/orthe test may be flagged by the welding software 244 as having no weldingdetected. For example, as illustrated, in certain embodiments, if theaverage voltage and/or the average amperage for a given test period donot meet certain predetermined threshold(s) or fall within certainpredetermined range(s), the indication 1006 of whether the test wassuccessful or not successful may depict that the test was “Unsuccessful”(which may also be displayed for other reasons, such as the total scoredoes not meet a specific requirement, for example). In addition, as alsoillustrated, in certain embodiments, when the average voltage and/or theaverage amperage for a given test period do not meet certainpredetermined threshold(s) or fall within certain predeterminedrange(s), instead of depicting the total score 1000 on the screen 996,an “Arc Not Detected” message 1010 may be depicted instead.

FIG. 57 illustrates an exemplary screen 1012 that may be displayed aspart of the assignment development routines of the welding software 244.In particular, FIG. 57 illustrates a screen 1012 that enables input ofcompletion criteria for a series of weld tests and length requirementsassociated with the testing. As illustrated, the screen 1012 isdisplayed when the Completion Criteria/Length Requirements tab 1014 ofthe assignment development routines is selected (and, therefore,highlighted on screen 1012). As illustrated, other tabs associated withconfiguration settings of the assignment development routines of thewelding software 244 may include, but are not limited to, an AssignmentName tab 1016 that causes a screen to be displayed where the assignmentname and other general information relating to the assignment may beentered; a Joint Design tab 1018 that causes a screen to be displayedwhere properties of the joint to be welded upon (e.g., type of joint,length, etc.) may be entered; a Base Metals tab 1020 that causes ascreen to be displayed where properties related to the base metals to bewelded upon may be entered; a Filler Metals/Shielding tab 1022 thatcauses a screen to be displayed where properties relating to the fillermetals (e.g., of the welding electrode) and shielding gas(es) may beentered; a Position/Electrical Char. tab 1024 that causes a screen to bedisplayed where properties (e.g., upper limits, lower limits, targetvalues, etc.) of the tool position parameters and the arc parameters,respectively, may be entered; a Preheat/Postweld Heat Tr. tab 1026 thatcauses a screen to be displayed where properties relating to preheatingand postweld heating, respectively, may be entered; a WeldingProcedure/1 Pass tab 1028 that causes a screen to be displayed whereproperties relating to the welding procedure (e.g., process type, etc.)and the number of passes in the test (e.g., one pass or more than onepass); and a Real-Time Feedback tab 1030 that causes a screen to bedisplayed where properties relating to real-time feedback may beentered. It will be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, all of theproperties relating to an assignment may be entered on the describedscreens, may be automatically detected by the welding software 244(e.g., based on specific equipment of the welding system 10, based onother properties that are set, and so forth), or some combinationthereof.

As illustrated in FIG. 57, the screen 1012 relating to the CompletionCriteria/Length Requirements tab 1014 includes a first section 1032specifically dedicated to the completion criteria properties and asecond section 1034 specifically dedicated to length requirementsassociated with the testing. In certain embodiments, in the completioncriteria section 1032 of the screen 1012, a series of inputs 1036enables a target score (e.g., 90 as illustrated), a number of weld tasksin a set of weld tasks (e.g., 5 as illustrated), a number of successfulweld test required per weld set (e.g., 3 as illustrated), and whether aweld test will be failed if an arc is not detected (e.g., as shown inFIG. 56) to be entered. In addition, as illustrated, in certainembodiments, a depiction 1038 of what these selections of completioncriteria will look like to the user (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 55 inthe Actions section 1040 of the screen 996). In addition, in certainembodiments, in the length requirements section 1034 of the screen 1012,a series of inputs 1042 enables a length of a start section (A) of aweld that will be ignored in the score compilations, an end section (B)of a weld that will be ignored in the score compilations, and a maximumlength (C) of the test, which may be less than the coupon length (whichmay, for example, be entered via the screen relating to the Joint Designtab 1018) to be entered. In addition, in certain embodiments, respectiveillustrations 1044 of relative dimensions of the entered propertiesrelating to the length requirements may also be depicted to aid the userin setting the length requirements.

FIG. 58 illustrates an exemplary screen 1046 that may be displayed whenthe Welding Procedure/1 Pass tab 1028 is selected. As described above,this screen 1046 enables properties relating to the welding procedureand the number of passes in the test (e.g., one pass or more than onepass) to be entered. As illustrated, in certain embodiments, a firstseries of inputs 1048 enables a process type (e.g., FCAW-G asillustrated), a class and diameter of the filler metals (e.g., thewelding electrode) (e.g., E71T-8JD H8 and 0.072 inches, respectively, asillustrated), a weld pattern (e.g., stringer vs. weave; stringer asillustrated), a vertical progression (e.g., up vs. down; up asillustrated), and any comments related to the welding procedure to beentered. In addition, as illustrated, in certain embodiments, a secondseries of inputs 1050 enables minimum, target, and maximum values forthe arc parameters (e.g., volts, wirefeed speed, and amps), labeled asWelding Power Source Settings, and the tool position parameters (e.g.,work angle, travel angle, CTWD, travel speed, and aim), labeled as ToolTechnique Parameters, to be entered. Also as illustrated, in certainembodiments, a third series of inputs 1052 enable more detailed inputrelating to minimum, target, and maximum values (e.g., relating to howmuch deviation from target values are allowed for the upper and lowerlimits, and so forth) for a highlighted arc parameter or tool positionparameter (e.g., volts as illustrated). In certain embodiments, whenmore than one pass is selected for a given assignment, the minimum,target, and maximum values for the arc parameters and/or the toolposition parameters may be individually set for each pass within theassignment. In certain embodiments, entry of properties for multiplepasses for a given assignment may be enabled via an Add Pass button1054, as illustrated.

As discussed above with respect to FIGS. 55 and 56, the arc parametersmay be displayed when the welding software 244 is in a live-arc weldmode. Conversely, FIG. 59 illustrates an exemplary screen 1056 thatdepicts the welding software 244 when in a simulated weld mode, asindicated by the weld mode indicator 998. As illustrated, when thewelding software 244 is in a simulated weld mode, the arc parameters arenot displayed since actual welding is disabled in this mode, and amessage indicating as much may be displayed instead.

In certain embodiments, the arc parameters are not displayed by defaultbelow the tool position parameters, such as illustrated in FIGS. 55 and56. Rather, FIG. 60 illustrates an exemplary screen 1058 that isdepicted by default (i.e., before a weld test has been initiated). Asillustrated, instead of the arc parameters, a welding procedure summarypane 1060 is illustrated to summarize for the user what the overallproperties (e.g., target properties) for a given test weld are. Incertain embodiments, from the welding procedure summary pane 1060, auser may select a View WPS button 1062, which will cause the screen 1064illustrated in FIG. 61 to be displayed. As illustrated, FIG. 61 is asummary of all of the information relating to all of the parameters of aweld test session or a weld test assignment (e.g., which may be enteredvia selection of the various assignment development tabs 1014-1030illustrated in FIGS. 57 and 58).

Returning now to FIG. 60, once the user has completed pre-testprocedures and is prepared to begin a weld test, upon activation of thetrigger 70 of the welding tool 14 to start a weld test, the weldingprocedure summary pane 1060 is replaced by the information relating tothe arc parameters to display the real-time graphing of the arcparameters during performance of the weld test (see, e.g., FIG. 62),allowing the user to view all graphs relating to the tool positionparameters and the arc parameters in real-time during the weld test.Indeed, in certain embodiments, upon activation of the trigger 70 of thewelding tool 14 to start a weld test, whatever screen is currently beingdisplayed may be replaced with, for example, the screen 996 illustratedin FIG. 62 such that all of the tool position parameters and arcparameters may be graphically displayed in real-time.

FIG. 63 illustrates an alternative screen 1066 that may be displayedfollowing the performance of a test weld. As illustrated, in certainembodiments, in addition to the arc parameters (e.g., voltage, amperage,wire feed speed), heat input 1068 may be displayed and, as with all ofthe other tool position parameters and the arc parameters, is timesynchronized along their respective time series. In general, thedetected voltage and amperage data and the detected travel speed datamay be used to compute the heat input in real-time for each point intime along the time series (e.g., time-based) or at each location alongthe weld joint (e.g., distance-based). In particular, in certainembodiments, the heat input (in kilojoules) may be calculated as afunction of the voltage, the amperage, and the travel speed (in inchedper minute) as:

${HeatInput} = \frac{{Amps} \times {Volts} \times 60}{1000 \times {TravelSpeed}}$

In addition, although not illustrated in FIG. 63, in certainembodiments, the weld size (fillet size; in millimeters) can be computedin real-time using the wire feed speed (WFS; in inches per minute),which may either be detected or specified by a user, travel speed (inmeters per minute), and a predetermined value for efficiency (%), andwire diameter (in millimeters) as:

${FilletSize} = \sqrt{\frac{\left( {\frac{\pi}{4} \times {WireDiameter}^{2}} \right) \times \left( {25.4 \times {WFS}} \right) \times {Efficiency}}{\left( \frac{1000 \times {TravelSpeed}}{2} \right)}}$

In certain embodiments, the predetermined value for efficiency may takeinto account any detected spatter, which may be determined using thetechniques disclosed in “Devices and Methods for Analyzing SpatterGenerating Events”, U.S. Patent Application No. 2013/0262000, filed onMar. 30, 2012 in the name of Richard Martin Hutchison et al., which ishereby incorporated into its entirety. For example, the predeterminedvalue of efficiency may be adjusted to, for example, lower thepredetermined value of efficiency when more spatter generating eventsare determined to occur, increase the predetermined value of efficiencywhen fewer spatter generating events are determined to occur, and soforth.

As discussed above, the welding tool 14 may either be an actual weldingtool configured to facilitate the creation of an actual welding arcbetween the actual welding tool and an actual workpiece 82 or asimulated welding tool configured to simulate the creation of asimulated welding arc between the simulated welding tool and a simulatedworkpiece 82 (e.g., a workpiece 82 on which an actual weld is notcreated, but which serves as a guide for the user during a simulatedwelding process). For example, in certain embodiments, the welding tool14 may be an actual MIG welding torch configured to facilitate thecreation of an actual welding arc between actual welding wire deliveredby the actual MIG welding torch and an actual workpiece 82, or thewelding tool 14 may be a simulated MIG welding torch configured tosimulate the creation of a simulated welding arc between simulatedwelding wire delivered by the simulated MIG welding torch and asimulated workpiece 82. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the weldingtool 14 may be an actual stick welding electrode holder configured tofacilitate the creation of an actual welding arc between an actual stickwelding electrode held by the actual stick welding electrode holder andan actual workpiece 82, or the welding tool 14 may be a simulated sickwelding electrode holder configured to simulate the creation of asimulated welding arc between a simulation stick welding electrode heldby the simulation stick welding electrode holder and a simulatedworkpiece 82, or the welding tool 14 may enable both actual andsimulated stick welding processes, as described in greater detailherein. In addition, in certain embodiments, the welding tool 14 may bean actual TIG welding torch configured to facilitate the creation of anactual welding arc between an actual tungsten electrode held by theactual TIG welding torch and an actual workpiece 82, or the welding tool14 may be a simulated TIG welding torch configured to simulate thecreation of a simulated welding arc between a simulated tungstenelectrode held by the simulated TIG welding torch and a simulatedworkpiece 82.

In certain embodiments, the welding tool 14 may be configured both tofacilitate the creation of an actual welding arc between an actual stickwelding electrode and an actual workpiece 82, and to simulate thecreation of a simulated welding arc between a simulation stick weldingelectrode and a simulated workpiece 82. For example, in certainembodiments, the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070, inaddition to being configured to mechanically retract the simulationstick welding electrode 1072 toward the stick electrode holding assembly1078 to simulate consumption of the simulation stick welding electrode1072 during a simulated stick welding process, the stick electrodeholding assembly 1078 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder1070 may be configured to deliver an electrical current through anactual stick welding electrode 1076 held by the stick electrode holdingassembly 1078 (e.g., via conductive properties of the stick electrodeholding assembly 1078), wherein the electrical current is sufficient togenerate a welding arc to a workpiece 82 through a tip of the actualstick welding electrode 1076 during an actual stick welding process.Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the welding software 244 may beconfigured to function interoperably with all of the different types ofwelding tools 14 described herein.

FIGS. 64A, 64B, 65A, and 65B illustrate embodiments of the welding tools14 that are stick welding electrode holders. More specifically, FIGS.64A and 64B illustrate an embodiment of a simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070 configured to simulate the creation of a simulatedwelding arc between a simulation stick welding electrode 1072 held bythe simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 and a simulatedworkpiece 82 (see FIG. 66A), and FIGS. 65A and 65B illustrate anembodiment of an actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 configuredto facilitate the creation of an actual welding arc 1075 between anactual stick welding electrode 1076 held by the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074 and an actual workpiece 82 (see FIG. 66B). Incertain embodiments, both stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074 arecoupled to communication lines. In certain embodiments, thecommunication lines may be disposed within the weld cable 80 throughwhich power may be provided to the stick welding electrode holders 1070,1074. In other embodiments, the communication lines may be directlycoupled to the weld cable 80 (e.g., disposed in a sleeve that may betied to the weld cable 80). It will be appreciated that the embodimentsof the stick welding electrode holders 1070, may include any and all ofthe relevant components of the welding tool 14 described herein, forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In certain embodiments, both stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074include visual markers 802 disposed on an outer structure 1077 that isconfigured to at least partially surround respective stick electrodeholding assemblies 1078, 1080 of the stick welding electrode holders1070, 1074. In certain embodiments, the visual markers 802 disposed onthe outer structure 1077 are substantially similar to (and substantiallysimilarly disposed on outer surfaces of the stick welding electrodeholders 1070, 1074) as the visual markers 802 disposed on the neck 800of the welding tool 14 described with respect to FIGS. 24 and 25, whichfacilitate detection by the one or more sensing devices 16. For example,as discussed above with respect to FIG. 48, in certain embodiments, thevisual markers 802 may be LEDs 64 configured to emit light that isdetected by the one or more sensing devices 16 to determine position,orientation, and/or movement of the stick welding electrode holders1070, 1074. For example, similar to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS.24 and 25, in certain embodiments, the stick welding electrode holders1070, 1074 may include multiple sets 804, 806, 810 of visual markers802, each set 804, 806, 810 of visual markers 802 including multipleLEDs 64 that emit light in different directions from the stick weldingelectrode holders 1070, 1074 which may be detected by the one or moresensing devices 16 to determine position, orientation, and/or movementof the stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074. In particular, incertain embodiments, four or more sets 804, 806, 810 of visual markers802, each set including multiple LEDs 64, may be used.

In other embodiments, the multiple sets 804, 806, 810 of visual markers802 may be disposed on the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 of thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070, and may be disposed onthe stick electrode holding assembly 1078 such that the visual markers802 may be detected by the one or more sensing devices 16. As describedin greater detail herein, the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 ofthe simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 may be used toretract a simulation stick welding electrode 1072 (or an actual stickwelding electrode 1076, in certain situations where an actual stickwelding electrode 1076 is used instead of a simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072, but during a simulated stick welding process where anactual welding arc is not generated via the actual stick weldingelectrode 1076) to simulate consumption of the stick welding electrode1072, 1076 and, as such, may function as a stick welding electroderetraction assembly having visual markers 802 disposed thereon, theposition, orientation, and/or movement of which may be tracked by theone or more sensing devices 16, thereby enabling the position,orientation, and/or movement of a stick welding electrode 1072, 1076being held by the stick electrode holding assembly 1078, 1080 to beinferred by the welding software 244.

As such, the visual markers 802 disposed on the outer structure 1077 ofthe stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074 enable the weldingsoftware 244 to determine the position, orientation, and/or movement ofthe stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074 using the one or moresensing devices 16. Knowing the position, orientation, and/or movementof the stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074 enables the weldingsoftware 244 to infer the orientation of a tip of the respective stickwelding electrodes 1072, 1076. The position and/or movement of the tipof the stick welding electrode 1072, 1076 can be inferred by, forexample, estimating the actual consumption of the actual stick weldingelectrode 1076 during an actual stick welding process performed by theactual stick welding electrode holder 1074 (or, in the case of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072, directly tracking theretraction of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072, as describedin greater detail herein). Alternatively, or in addition to, asillustrated in FIG. 66A, in the case of the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, in certain embodiments, one or more visualmarkers 802 may be disposed directly on the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 along an axis of the simulation stick welding electrode1072 such that the position, orientation, and/or movement of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 may be directly detected usingthe one or more sensing devices 16. In addition to, or in place of,having the visual markers 802 directly on the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072, in certain embodiments, the visual markers 802 may beconnected (e.g., indirectly) to the simulation stick welding electrode1072 by, for example, being attached to some rigid body extending fromthe simulation stick welding electrode 1072. As will be appreciated,embodiments described herein as having the visual markers 802 disposedon other parts of the stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074 (e.g.,on the outer structure 1077 and/or the stick electrode holdingassemblies 1078, 1080) may instead also similarly have the visualmarkers 802 connected (e.g., indirectly) to these other parts of thestick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074.

As illustrated in FIGS. 64A, 64B, 65A, and 65B, in certain embodiments,the outer structure 1077 for the stick welding electrode holders 1070,1074 may be substantially similar to each other. Indeed, in certainembodiments, many of the components of the stick welding electrodeholders 1070, 1074 will be substantially similar to each other. Forexample, in certain embodiments, both stick welding electrode holders1070, 1074 include substantially similar handles 1082 through whichelectrical current may be delivered to the respective stick electrodeholding assemblies 1078, 1080 (and, ultimately, to the respective stickwelding electrodes 1072, 1076), and each of these handles 1082 may becoupled to the respective stick electrode holding assemblies 1078, 1080and the outer structure 1077 at a distal end 1084 of the handle 1082.

In certain embodiments, both stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074include a trigger 1086 that may be pressed by a user to bring thetrigger 1086 closer to the handle 1082. For each of the stick weldingelectrode holders 1070, 1074, the effect of pressing the trigger 1086may be different. For example, for the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, pressing the trigger 1086 may cause the stickelectrode holding assembly 1078 of the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070 to cause the simulation stick welding electrode1072 to be extended from the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 to asimulated unconsumed position, thereby enabling a new simulated weldprocedure to be performed by the simulation stick welding electrodeholder 1070. In certain embodiments, a release mechanism may be used toreset the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 to its unconsumedposition. In contrast, for the actual stick welding electrode holder1074, pressing the trigger 1086 may cause a more conventional effect forthe actual stick welding electrode holder 1074, namely, that opposingjaws 1088 of the stick electrode holding assembly 1080 of the actualstick welding electrode holder 1074 are opened, such that an actualstick welding electrode 1076 may be inserted between the opposing jaws1088, thereby enabling a new actual weld procedure to be performed bythe actual stick welding electrode holder 1074.

As depicted in FIG. 66B, the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074illustrated in FIGS. 65A and 65B is configured to facilitate thedelivery of actual welding power through an actual stick weldingelectrode 1076 held by the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074such that an actual welding arc 1075 at a distal tip of the actual stickwelding electrode 1076 is created when the tip of the actual stickwelding electrode 1076 is brought into proximity with an actualworkpiece 82, thereby completing an electrical circuit between thewelding power supply 28, the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074(as the welding tool 14), the actual stick welding electrode 1076, andthe actual workpiece 82 (e.g., facilitated by the weld cable 80 and thework cable 84). As will be appreciated, as the actual welding isperformed using the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074, theactual stick welding electrode 1076 is consumed such that the tip of theactual stick welding electrode 1076 gradually moves toward the jaws 1088of the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 that holds the actualstick welding electrode 1076 in place with respect to the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074.

In contrast, as depicted in FIG. 66A, the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070 illustrated in FIGS. 64A and 64B is not configuredto facilitate delivery of actual welding power through the simulationstick welding electrode 1072 to a distal tip 1090 of the simulationstick welding electrode 1072. Rather, in certain embodiments, thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 is configured to simulatethe consumption of the simulated stick welding electrode 1072 byretracting the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 back toward thestick electrode holding assembly 1078 of the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070 as the simulated welding process is performed bythe simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070. For example, incertain embodiments, the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070includes a motor that facilitates retraction of the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 toward the stick electrode holding assembly 1078of the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070.

As discussed above, in certain embodiments, the stick electrode holdingassembly 1078 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 isconfigured to retract the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 towardthe stick electrode holding assembly 1078 to simulate consumption of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 during a simulated stick weldingprocess performed by the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070.With reference to FIGS. 64A and 64B, assuming that the tip 1090A is thetip 1090 being used as the simulated tip of the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 at which the simulated welding arc is to be created whenthe tip 1090A is brought into proximity with a simulated workpiece 82,the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 is configured to retract thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 in a direction toward the stickelectrode holding assembly 1078 during the simulated stick weldingprocess, as illustrated by arrow 1092.

FIG. 67 illustrates an embodiment of the stick electrode holdingassembly 1078 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072. In theillustrated embodiment, the stick electrode holding assembly 1078includes three distinct tracks 1094 within which the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 may be held. In certain embodiments, each track1094 comprises a respective drive wheel 1096, which may be configured torotate, thereby driving translation of the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 when the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 is beingheld within the respective track 1094. In alternative embodiments,instead of the drive wheels 1096, each track 1094 may include a screwdrive configured to mate with threading on the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 (e.g., as shown on the simulation stick welding electrode1072 illustrated in FIGS. 64A and 64B) such that the screw drive drivesthe translation of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072.

In certain embodiments, each track 1094 may include at least one guide1098 that guides the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 through therespective track 1094. It will be appreciated that each discrete track1094 is defined by the respective guiding features (e.g., drive wheels1096 and guides 1098) that define a respective axis of the track 1094through which the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 may move. Inthe illustrated embodiment, a motor assembly 1100 causes rotation of acentral shaft 1102, as illustrated by arrow 1104. Rotation of thecentral shaft 1102 directly causes rotation of at least one of the drivewheels 1096 (i.e., drive wheel 1096A). In addition, in certainembodiments, each track 1094 may be associated with a respective gear1106 of a gear assembly 1108. More specifically, as illustrated, incertain embodiments, the central shaft 1102 may be coupled to a firstgear 1106A that is associated with the first drive wheel 1096A. Thefirst gear 1106A may be directly coupled to the second and third gears1106B and 1106C, which may in turn be directly coupled to the second andthird drive wheels 1096B and 1096C. In the illustrated embodiment, thesecond and third gears 1106B and 1106C are generally oriented atapproximately 45° angles with respect to the first gear 1106A, however,other orientations of the gears 1106 are contemplated. Moreover,although the illustrated embodiment depicts the first track 1094A beinggenerally oriented transverse to a central axis 1110 of the simulationstick welding electrode holder 1070, and the second and third tracks1094 being generally offset from the central axis 1110 by approximately45° angles, other orientations of the tracks 1094 (as well as theassociated drive wheels 1096 and guides 1098) are contemplated.

While FIG. 67 illustrates one embodiment where a plurality of discretetracks 1094 may be used that remain in a relatively fixed position withrespect to the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 of the simulationstick welding electrode holder 1070, in other embodiments, a singletrack 1094 may be used, and the stick electrode holding assembly 1078may be rotatable with respect to the simulation stick welding electrode1072, thereby enabling any continuous angular orientation of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 with respect to the simulationstick welding electrode holder 1070. For example, in certainembodiments, only the first track 1094A, the first drive wheel(s) 1096A,the first set of guides 1098A, etc., may exist in the stick electrodeholding assembly 1078 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder1070, and the entire stick electrode holding assembly 1078 may berotatable (e.g., pivotable) with respect to the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, as illustrated by arrow 1112, thereby enablingthe various angular orientations (e.g., any continuous angularorientation, as opposed to the discrete angular orientations enabled bythe fixed tracks 1094 illustrated in FIG. 67) of the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 with respect to the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070 (e.g., with respect to the handle 1082 of thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070). In other embodiments, acombination of both the plurality of tracks 1094, as illustrated in FIG.67 and a rotatable (e.g., pivotable) stick electrode holding assembly1078 may be utilized, enabling even greater control and customization ofthe angular orientation of the simulation stick welding electrode holder1070, enabling either a relatively small number of discrete angularorientations or enabling an infinite number of continuous angularorientations.

As opposed to enabling continuous angular orientations of the simulationstick welding electrode holder 1070 via the rotatable (e.g., pivotable)stick electrode holding assembly 1078, in certain embodiments, the stickelectrode holding assembly 1078 may be configured to be fixed into adiscrete number of angular orientations when rotated with respect to thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 (e.g., with respect tothe handle 1082 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070)by, for example, utilizing grooves and mating indentations on surfacesof the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 and the outer structure1077. In certain embodiments, a spring-loaded pin may hold the stickelectrode holding assembly 1078 in place with respect to the outerstructure 1077 and, when the pin is removed, the stick electrode holdingassembly 1078 may be moveable with respect to the outer structure 1077.In addition, in certain embodiments, the stick electrode holdingassembly 1078 may be rotated such that the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 aligns generally parallel to the central axis 1110 of thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070. In such an alignment,the motor assembly 1100 may be configured to retract the simulationstick welding electrode 1072 into an inner volume of the handle 1082 ofthe simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 (for storagepurposes, for example).

In certain embodiments, once the user selects one of the discreteangular orientations of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 withrespect to the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 (e.g., byselecting a discrete track 1094 of the stick electrode holding assembly1078), the user may enter which discrete angular orientation wasselected. In other embodiments, the selected angular orientation of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 with respect to the simulationstick welding electrode holder 1070 may be detected by a sensor assembly1113 disposed in the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070. Forexample, the sensor assembly 1113 may include a sensor (e.g., an opticalsensor) configured to detect when the simulation stick welding electrode1072 is inserted into a particular discrete track 1094 of the stickelectrode holding assembly 1078 and/or a sensor (e.g., position sensor)configured to detect an angular orientation (e.g., discrete orcontinuous angular orientation) of the stick electrode holding assembly1078 in embodiments that include a rotatable (e.g., pivotable) stickelectrode holding assembly 1078.

In certain embodiments where only one track 1094 is utilized in thestick electrode holding assembly 1078 of the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 maybe permanently captured in the track 1094 and, therefore, not removablefrom the stick electrode holding assembly 1078. In other embodiments,the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 may be removable from thetrack 1094 (for storage purposes, for example). In embodiments wheremultiple tracks 1094 are utilized in the stick electrode holdingassembly 1078 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070, thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 will also be removable, forexample, to change the track 1094 within which the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 is held. In addition, again, even in embodimentshaving only one track 1094, the stick electrode holding assembly 1078may still be configured to be rotated into various angular orientationswith respect to the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070(e.g., with respect to the handle 1082 of the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070).

FIGS. 64A and 64B illustrate another embodiment of the stick electrodeholding assembly 1078 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder1070. In the illustrated embodiment, the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 includes threading that are manipulated by gears of agear assembly 1108 to cause the simulation stick welding electrode 1072to retract back toward the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 in thedirection of arrow 1092 (as well as to extend back away from the stickelectrode holding assembly 1078, e.g., opposite to the direction ofarrow 1092). The gear assembly 1108 may be driven by a motor assembly1100 substantially similar to the motor assembly 1100 described withrespect to FIG. 67. In certain embodiments, a coupling mechanism, suchas a pulley or gearing, may couple rotational shafts associated with themotor and gear assemblies 1100, 1108.

As described above, the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 of thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 is configured to retractthe simulation stick welding electrode 1072 toward the stick electrodeholding assembly 1078 to simulate consumption of the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 during a simulated welding process performedusing the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070. The weldingsoftware 244 determines the rate at which the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 should be retracted, and sends control signals to thestick electrode holding assembly 1078 to adjust the rate of retractionaccordingly. For example, in certain embodiments, the welding software244 determines the rate of retraction of the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072, and sends control signals to the motor assembly 1100 ofthe stick electrode holding assembly 1078 to effectuate the rate ofretraction of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072.

The welding software 244 may determine the rate of retraction of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 in several different ways, eachselectable via the screens displayed on the displays described herein.For example, in certain embodiments, the rate of retraction may be setto a constant retraction rate by an instructor. The constant retractionrate may be directly entered by the instructor, or may be indirectly setbased on assignment parameters set by the instructor (or, in certainembodiments, set by the user himself), such as a type (e.g., E7018,E6010, etc.) of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072, a diameter(e.g., 3/32″, ⅛″, 5/32″, etc.) of the simulation stick welding electrode1072, a length (e.g., up to 14″, in certain embodiments) of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072, a simulated welding current, adesired simulated arc length, etc. Furthermore, in certain embodiments,instead of causing a constant rate of retraction of the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072, the welding software 244 may instead dynamicallychange the rate of the retraction of the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 based on welding parameters (e.g., work angle, travelangle, arc length, travel speed, aim, arc length, and so forth) detectedin real-time during performance of the simulated welding process. Inother words, the welding software 244 may continuously adjust (e.g.,control in real-time) the rate of retraction (e.g., update and implementa new rate of retraction every 1 second, every 0.1 second, every 0.01second, or even more frequently, in certain embodiments) duringperformance of the simulated welding process. In certain embodiments,the continuous adjustment of the rate of retraction may be based atleast in part on the welding parameters (e.g., work angle 328, travelangle 330, travel speed 334, and aim 336) relating to the simulationstick welding electrode 1072, which may be determined based at least inpart on tracking of position, orientation, and/or movement data relatingto the visual markers 802 disposed on (or otherwise fixedly connectedto) the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070. As used herein,the term “fixedly connected” is intended to mean connected to in a fixedmanner, for example, not movable with respect to. In other embodiments,the welding software 244 may look up the rate of retraction, forexample, in a lookup table stored in the memory device(s) 22.

In certain embodiments, the welding software 244 may continuously adjust(e.g., control in real-time) the rate of retraction of the simulationstick welding electrode 1072 based at least in part on a simulated arclength, which may be determined by the welding software 244 based atleast in part on tracking of position, orientation, and/or movement datarelating to the visual markers 802 disposed on (or otherwise fixedlyconnected to) the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070. Thesimulated arc length determined by the welding software 244 representsthe distance of the tip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode1072 from the simulated workpiece 82. As such, in addition to beingbased on the position, orientation, and/or movement data relating to thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070, the simulated arc lengthdetermined by the welding software 244 may also be based at least inpart on the continuously adjusted rate of retraction of the simulationstick welding electrode 1072 (e.g., such that the welding software 244tracks position, orientation, and/or movement of the simulation stickwelding electrode holder 1070, as well as position, orientation, and/ormovement of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 with respect tothe simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070), as well as theother parameters mentioned previously.

In certain embodiments, the simulation stick welding electrode holder1070 may be configured to simulate an arc start for the simulatedwelding process performed by the simulation stick welding electrodeholder 1070. In particular, in certain embodiments, the simulatedwelding process may be started when a tip 1090 of the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 comes into contact (e.g., either electrically orphysically) with the simulated workpiece 82. The determination that thetip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 has contactedthe simulated workpiece 82 may be accomplished in various ways. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the stick electrode holding assembly1078 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 may beconfigured to deliver a low-level current, which is not for the purposeof establishing a welding arc, through the tip 1090 of the simulationstick welding electrode 1072 when the tip 1090 is brought into contactwith the simulated workpiece 82 (by closing an electrical circuitsimilar to conventional welding processes). Detection of the low-levelcurrent (e.g., via current sensing circuitry 1242 disposed in aconnection box 1194, as illustrated in FIG. 84, in certain embodiments)initiates the start of a simulation test, during which weldingparameters are captured and the simulation stick welding electrode 1072is retracted. In certain embodiments, once a test has begun, subsequentdetection of the low-level current causes the test to end and theretraction of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 to cease. Incertain embodiments, the welding software 244 may determine that the tip1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 has contacted (oris, at least, in close proximity to) the simulated workpiece 82 based atleast in part on a difference in voltages of the simulated workpiece 82and of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 (e.g., at least inpart via voltage sensing circuitry 1242 disposed in the connection box1194, as illustrated in FIG. 84, in certain embodiments).

Alternatively, or in addition to, in certain embodiments, the weldingsoftware 244 may infer the location of the tip 1090 of the simulationstick welding electrode 1072 using the known length of the simulationstick welding electrode 1072 and the known position, orientation, and/ormovement of the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 detectedby the one or more sensing devices 16 (e.g., by tracking the visualmarkers 802 on the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070, forexample). The welding software 244 may then compare the location of thetip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 to the locationof the simulated workpiece 82, which may either be known by the weldingsoftware 244 or detected using the one or more sensing devices 16. Inother embodiments, the welding software 244 may determine that the tip1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 has contacted thesimulated workpiece 82 based on actuation of a mechanical feature of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 (e.g., a push button disposed inthe tip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072, in certainembodiments) when the mechanical feature of the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 contacts the simulated workpiece 82. In otherembodiments, the welding software 244 may determine that the tip 1090 ofthe simulation stick welding electrode 1072 has contacted the simulatedworkpiece 82 based on feedback from other types of sensors (e.g., forcesensors, accelerometers, etc.) disposed in the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 that are configured to detect certain position,orientation, and/or movement of the simulation stick welding electrode1072 with respect to the simulated workpiece 82.

Regardless, once the welding software 244 determines that the tip 1090of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 has contacted thesimulated workpiece 82, the welding software 244 sends appropriatecontrol signals to the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 to startretraction of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072. In certainembodiments, the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 may beconfigured to generate vibrations (e.g., via haptic feedback mechanisms)and/or audible feedback (e.g., via speakers) to simulate the arcstarting when retraction starts. It should be noted that, in certainembodiments, an additional function that the mechanisms of the stickwelding electrode holders 1070, 1074 for generating the audible feedbackmay serve is to generate a sound effect when the stick welding electrodeholder 1070, 1074 is not tracked by the one or more sensing devices 16for a given threshold time period (e.g., 1 second, in certainembodiments), in other words, when the stick welding electrode holder1070, 1074 has been moved from the detection area of the one or moresensing devices 16 or when one or more visual markers 802 on the stickwelding electrode holder 1070, 1074 are obstructed from view of the oneor more sensing devices 16. In addition, in certain embodiments, if theactual stick welding electrode holder 1074 goes untracked for the giventhreshold time period, weld power to the actual stick welding electrodeholder 1074 may be disabled by a contactor 1212 (e.g., contactor 1212illustrated in FIG. 84), but a warning screen may remain on-screen for agiven period of time (e.g., 5 seconds, in certain embodiments, otherwiseknown as a “5 second latch”) before disappearing.

Once retraction of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 hasbegun, the retraction may continue until either the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 has been completely retracted (i.e., cannot beretracted any further) or when the tip 1090 of the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 exceeds a threshold distance (e.g., 1″ in certainembodiments) from the simulated workpiece 82. Detection of the distanceof the tip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 from thesimulated workpiece 82 may be performed using any of the positiondetection techniques described herein with respect to establishment ofthe simulated welding arc. In addition, in certain embodiments, othertypes of sensors (e.g., accelerometers, in certain embodiments) disposedin the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 (or elsewhere in thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070) may be used to determinewhen the tip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 hasmoved away from the simulated workpiece 82 by the threshold distance,such that retraction of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 maybe stopped. In addition, in certain embodiments, in addition to beingbased on the distance of the tip 1090 of the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 from the simulated workpiece 82, retraction of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 may be stopped based on adetected angle of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072, which maybe detected by an angle sensor disposed in the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 (or elsewhere in the simulation stick welding electrodeholder 1070), for example.

FIG. 68A illustrates an embodiment of the actual stick welding electrodeholder 1074 with the outer structure 1077 removed for illustrationpurposes. As illustrated, in certain embodiments, the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074 includes a discrete number of distinctslots 1114 formed on an inner surfaces of at least one of the jaws 1088of the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 that are configured togrip the actual stick welding electrode 1076. FIG. 68B illustrates anexemplary inner surface 1116 of a jaw 1088 of the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074 having two transverse slots 1114A and 1114B andtwo diagonal slots 1114C and 1114D, however, other numbers, sizes, andconfigurations of discrete slots 1114 are also contemplated.

One benefit of using the discrete number of slots 1114 in the stickelectrode holding assembly 1080 of the actual stick welding electrodeholder 1074 is that the welding software 244 can more readily knowexactly where the actual stick welding electrode 1076 is with respect tothe actual stick welding electrode holder 1074. For example, since thelength of a particular actual stick welding electrode 1076 is known bythe welding software 244, when the welding software 244 also knows theslot 1114 of the stick electrode holding assembly 1080 that is holdingthe actual stick welding electrode 1076 in place, the welding software244 may calculate the location of the distal tip of the actual stickwelding electrode 1076 prior to consumption of the actual stick weldingelectrode 1076. To that end, the user may be guided via an on-screenprompt 1117, as illustrated in FIG. 68C, to insert the actual stickwelding electrode 1076 into one of the discrete slots 1114 (labeledslots 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the illustrated embodiment). In certainembodiments, corresponding labels (e.g., 1, 2, 3, and 4) may be on anouter surface of one or both of the jaws 1088 of the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074 to help guide the user. Once the userinserts the actual stick welding electrode 1076 into one of the slots1114, the user may select which slot 1114 into which the actual stickwelding electrode 1076 was inserted. The welding software 244 uses thisinformation to accurately locate the distal tip of the actual stickwelding electrode 1076, and to aid in tracking the positioning of theactual stick welding electrode 1076 as it is consumed during an actualstick welding process. For example, in certain embodiments, the weldingsoftware 244 may use the information relating to the selected slot 1114into which the actual stick welding electrode 1076 is inserted todetermine from which side of the actual stick electrode holder 1074 thatactual stick welding electrode 1076 is extending. For example, for anygiven slot 1114, knowing the length of the actual stick weldingelectrode 1076 (before consumption of the actual stick welding electrode1076), there are only two possible locations of the tip of the actualstick welding electrode 1076 (which can both be determined by thewelding software 244 at any given time). The welding software 244 mayuse other information relating to position, orientation, and/or movementof the actual stick electrode holder 1074 (e.g., by tracking the visualmarkers 802) to determine which of those two determined points makessense (e.g., by estimating a relative location from an actual workpiece82 for both two determined points, and determining which one is closer).To make the system more accurate, in certain embodiments, the user maybe prompted to not bend the actual stick welding electrode 1076. Inaddition, in certain embodiments, if the user selects a slot 1114 thatis not appropriate for a particular type of weld (e.g., certain types ofslot positions for an overhead weld), the user may be notified via anon-screen prompt. Alternatively, or in addition to, in certainembodiments, certain slot selection options are not provided to the uservia the on-screen prompt for particular types of welds. In addition, incertain embodiments, the welding software 244 stores a user-selectedslot option for a particular type of weld in memory device(s) (e.g., thememory device(s) 22 or storage device(s) 24 of the computer 18), andautomatically defaults to this user-selected slot option duringsubsequent tests on the same type of welds.

In another embodiment, the stick electrode holding assembly 1080 of theactual stick welding electrode holder 1074 may only have one slot 1114in which the actual stick welding electrode 1076 may be inserted. Inthis case, the stick electrode holding assembly 1080 may be rotatablewith respect to the handle 1082 into a plurality of angular orientations(substantially similar to the stick electrode holding assembly 1078 ofthe simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070). In certainembodiments, visual markers 802 may also be attached to this rotatingstick electrode assembly to facilitate tracking of the actual stickwelding electrode 1076 (as similarly discussed herein with respect tothe stick electrode holding assembly 1078 of the simulation stickwelding electrode holder 1070).

It will be appreciated that, in embodiments of the stick electrodeholding assembly 1078 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder1070 having more than one track 1094 into which the simulation stickwelding electrode 1072 may be inserted, similar on-screen prompts may beused to guide the user to insert the simulation stick welding electrode1072 into an appropriate track 1094, and enter which track 1094 intowhich the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 was inserted. Itshould be noted that the user may freely switch between using thesimulated stick welding electrode holder 1070 and the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074. As such, certain features of the stickwelding electrode holders 1070, 1074 may help prevent the user frominserting inappropriate stick welding electrodes 1072, 1076 into eitherthe tracks 1094 of the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 orthe slots 1114 of the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the simulation stick welding electrodes1072 may be larger than the actual stick welding electrodes 1076 (e.g.,have larger diameters) such that the simulation stick welding electrodes1072 do not fit into the slots 1114 of the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074 (i.e., because they are too large), and the actualstick welding electrodes 1076 cannot be firmly held within the tracks1094 of the simulated stick welding electrode holder 1070 (i.e., becausethey are too small). It should be noted that, in other embodiments, anactual stick welding electrode 1076 may be used with the simulationstick welding electrode holder 1070. For example, in such embodiments,the tracks 1094 of the simulated stick welding electrode holder 1070 maybe appropriately sized such that actual stick welding electrodes 1076may be inserted into them.

FIGS. 69A and 69B illustrate embodiments of button panels 1118, 1120that may be disposed on the simulation stick welding electrode holder1070 and the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074, respectively.As primarily described herein as including buttons, it otherembodiments, the buttons of the stick welding electrode holder 1070,1074 described herein may include other various input devices or inputelements including, but not limited to, touch screens, sliders, scrollwheels, switches, knobs, liquid crystal displays, or any other suitableinput devices or input elements configured to enable operatorinteraction with the welding software 244 via the stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, 1074. It certain embodiments, the button panels1118, 1120 may include translucent membranes with LEDs underneath toglow certain icons as illustrated in FIGS. 69A and 69B. Locating thebutton panels 1118, 1120 on the stick welding electrode holders 1070,1074 facilitates easier selection of certain options by the user. Bothbutton panels 1118, 1120 include two navigations buttons 1122, 1124(although, in certain embodiments, the button panels 1118, 1120 mayinclude only one navigation button) that may be manipulated by the userto help navigate the screens, menus, etc. that are displayed on thedisplay devices described herein. In addition, both button panels 1118,1120 include a power button 1126, however, manipulation of the powerbutton 1126 causes slightly different functionality with respect to thestick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074. For example, in certainembodiments, when the user presses the power button 1126 of thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070, the simulation stickwelding electrode holder 1070 is activated by the welding software 244,and a simulation stick welding process indicator 1128 (e.g., a blue LEDin certain embodiments) is turned on. It will be appreciated that, incertain embodiments, the buttons described herein enablecontext-sensitive navigation through the screens, menus, etc. that aredisplayed on the display devices described herein. In other words, thenavigational functions of the buttons described herein may change basedon the context of the information currently being displayed on thedisplay devices. In such situations, context-sensitive prompts may bedisplayed on the display devices to aid the user in navigating thescreens, menus, etc.

In contrast, in certain embodiments, when the user first presses thepower button 1126 of the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074, theactual stick welding electrode holder 1074 is activated by the weldingsoftware 244, and an actual stick welding process indicator 1130 (e.g.,an orange LED in certain embodiments) is turned on, but weld power isnot yet provided to the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074.After the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 is activated, thepower button 1126 may subsequently be pressed for a certain amount oftime (e.g., two second in certain embodiments) to enable weld powerthrough the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074, at which time anactual stick welding power indicator 1132 (e.g., an orange LED incertain embodiments) begins blinking (to indicate that weld power isenabled through the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074. Incertain embodiments, subsequent pressing of the power button 1126 causesthe weld power to be disabled. In certain embodiments, the actual weldpower is only enabled through the actual stick welding electrode holder1074 when the welding software 244 determines that the actual stickwelding electrode 1076 is proximate (e.g., within an inch, for example)the actual workpiece 82, using the position detection techniquesdescribed herein. In certain embodiments, both of the stick weldingelectrode holders 1070, 1074 may only be activated when appropriatescreens are being displayed to the user. In addition, in certainembodiments, the stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074 may beconfigured to generate vibrations (e.g., via haptic feedback mechanisms)to confirm to the user that a button has been pressed.

The button panels 1118, 1120 illustrated in FIGS. 69A and 69B may takevarious forms and may be disposed at various locations of the stickwelding electrode holders 1070, 1074. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 70, the button panel 1120 of the actual stick welding electrodeholder 1074 may be located near a proximal end 1134 of the handle 1082of the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074. In addition, asillustrated in FIG. 71, the button panel 1120 of the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074 may be located on an outer surface of theouter structure 1077 of the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074.It will be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, the button panel1118 may be similarly located on the simulation stick welding electrodeholder 1070.

In certain embodiments, the stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074may include certain features to facilitate real-time feedback to theuser during operation of the stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074.For example, in certain embodiments, the stick welding electrode holders1070, 1074 may include a status indicator 1136 that may indicate to auser whether a specific parameter of interest (e.g., welding parameterssuch as work angle, travel angle, aim, and so forth, arc parameters suchas voltage and current), or combination of parameters, is acceptable ornot (e.g., within an acceptable range of values, for example,predetermined upper and lower limits). Other parameters of interest thatmay be indicated by the status indicator 1136 may include whether thevisual markers 802 of the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074 areblocked from being detected by the one or more sensing devices 16,whether the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074 is in a particularmode of operation (e.g., a welding mode versus a setup mode, forexample), and so forth. It will be appreciated that the specificparameter of interest may be selected by the user via the variousscreens presented to the user as described herein. As illustrated inFIGS. 72A and 72B, in certain embodiments, the status indicator 1136 maybe disposed proximate a distal end of the stick welding electrode holder1070, 1074.

In certain embodiments, the status indicator 1136 may be an LED capableof illuminating either green or red and, if the specific parameter ofinterest is acceptable (e.g., whether the specific parameter is within apredetermined upper and lower limit), the status indicator 1136 may beilluminated green, if the specific parameter of interest is notacceptable, the status indicator 1136 may not be illuminated at all, andwhen the visual markers 802 are not being tracked, the status indicatormay be illuminated red. In addition, in certain embodiments, the color,intensity, and/or patterns of illumination of the status indicator 1136may be varied based on a relation of the parameter of interest to thelimits. In certain embodiments, so as to minimize the potential fordistracting the user, the status indicator 1136 may not be illuminatedat all unless the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074 is proximatethe workpiece 82, using the position detection techniques describedherein.

In addition, in certain embodiments, the status indicator 1136 may alsobe capable of generating vibrations (e.g., via haptic feedbackmechanisms) and/or audible feedback (e.g., via speakers) to indicate tothe user whether the specific parameter of interest is acceptable ornot. With respect to the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 (andsometimes with the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070), incertain embodiments, so as to minimize the potential to distract theuser, these real-time feedback features may be disabled during theactual stick welding process performed by the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074, whereas in most embodiments, these real-timefeedback features may be left on during the simulated stick weldingprocess performed by the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070.

In addition, in certain embodiments, the stick welding electrode holders1070, 1074 may include a plurality of status indicators 1136 that mayindicate a plurality of statuses. In addition, each of the plurality ofstatus indicators 1136 may indicate multiple different statuses (e.g.,depending on color, intensity, and/or patterns of illumination of thestatus indicators 1136 (in the case of LEDs), depending on intensityand/or patterns of vibrations (in the case of haptic feedbackmechanisms), depending on volume, tone, and/or patterns of audiblefeedback (in the case of speakers), and so forth). In certainembodiments, any combination of the plurality of status indicators 1136may be enabled or disabled at any given time.

In certain embodiments, the real-time feedback features described withrespect to FIGS. 72A and 72B may be particularly beneficial when theuser is starting the particular stick welding process (e.g., bringingthe stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074 into position to performthe particular stick welding process). FIG. 73 illustrates an exemplaryscreen 1138 that may be displayed when the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074 is activated, before an actual welding process hasbeen initiated, and while the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074is not in position (e.g., the welding software 244 has determined thatthe actual stick welding electrode 1076 is not proximate the actualworkpiece 82). When this is the case, the welding procedure summary pane1060 is illustrated to summarize for the user what the overallproperties (e.g., target properties) for a given test weld are. It willbe appreciated that the screen 1138 illustrated in FIG. 73 will besubstantially similar when the simulation stick welding electrode holder1070 is activated, before the simulated welding process has beeninitiated, and while the simulation stick welding electrode holder 1070is not in position (e.g., the welding software 244 has determined thatthe simulation stick welding electrode 1072 is not proximate (e.g.,within an inch, for example) the simulated workpiece 82).

It should be noted that for the stick welding processes performed by thestick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074, contact tip to workpiecedistance 332 may be replaced by arc length index 1140 in the case ofactual stick welding processes performed by the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074 (and may be arc length in the case of simulatedstick welding processes performed by the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070). In the case of actual stick welding processesperformed by the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074, arc lengthindex is an index that attempts to approximate the arc length (i.e., thelength of the arc from the tip of the actual stick welding electrode1076 to the workpiece 82 along the axis of the actual stick weldingelectrode 1076). The necessity for the approximation is that the actualarc length between the tip of the actual stick welding electrode 1076and the workpiece 82 cannot be directly determined as accurately as withsimulated stick welding processes performed by the simulation stickwelding electrode holder 1070 (e.g., by tracking visual markers 802 onthe simulation stick welding electrode 1072, in certain embodiments).This is primarily attributable to the fact that the position of the tip1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072 with respect to thesimulated workpiece 82 is more readily determined than the position ofthe tip of the actual stick welding electrode 1076 with respect to anactual workpiece 82 (due at least in part to the actual consumption ofthe actual stick welding electrode 1076 during the actual stick weldingprocess). In certain embodiments, the arc length index may be calculatedas a function of the voltage through the actual stick welding electrode1076 during the actual stick welding process. More specifically, incertain embodiments, the arc length index may be calculated as 2.5 timesthe voltage through the actual stick welding electrode 1076 during theactual stick welding process, and the arc length index may be depictedon a scale of 0 to 100 in certain embodiments.

In the case of simulated arc welding, instead of arc length index, anarc length may be calculated. For example, in certain embodiments,visual markers 802 disposed on the simulation stick welding electrode1072 may be tracked, and the arc length may be calculated based on aposition of the tip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072relative to a position of the simulation workpiece 82 (which may besimilarly tracked, as described herein). In this scenario, the arclength is the difference in distance between the tip 1090 of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 and the simulation workpiece 82as measured along the axis of the simulation stick welding electrode1072. In certain embodiments where the visual markers 802 are insteaddisposed on the outer structure 1077 of the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, the relative position of the tip 1090 of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072 may be determined by detectingwhen current flows from the tip 1090 of the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072 to the simulation workpiece 82. At that time, theposition of the tip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072is known via the known position of the simulation workpiece 82. Usingthis known location, as well as the known rate of retraction of thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072, the continually updatedlocation of the tip 1090 of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072may be determined, and the arc length may be calculated based on thiscontinually updated location. In turn, the calculated arc length may beused by the welding software 244 to dynamically update the rate ofretraction of the simulation stick welding electrode 1072.

In certain embodiments, during a weld, if a remaining length of theactual stick welding electrode 1076 is determined to be shorter than athreshold electrode length (e.g., 3 inches, in certain embodiments),weld power to the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 may bedisabled, thereby protecting the actual stick welding electrode holder1074 from heat/spatter, and prolonging the life of the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074. In addition, in certain embodiments, theactual stick welding electrode holder 1074 may include one or moresensors configured to detect temperatures of the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074, and the user may be notified (and weld powerdisabled) when the detected temperatures exceed certain thresholdtemperatures.

FIG. 74 illustrates an exemplary screen 1142 that may be displayed whenthe actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 is activated, before theactual welding process has been initiated, while the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074 is in position (e.g., the welding software244 has determined that the actual stick welding electrode 1076 isproximate (e.g., within an inch, for example) the actual workpiece 82),but before a contactor (e.g., contactor 1212 illustrated in FIG. 84) hasbeen enabled to provide actual welding power through the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074 (and, thus, the actual stick weldingelectrode 1076). As illustrated, a targeting graphic 1144 may bedisplayed (that functions as visual guides) to provide an indication tothe user how the positioning of the actual stick welding electrodeholder 1074 should be adjusted. More specifically, the depicted solidround circle is intended to represent the current targeting 1146 of theactual stick welding electrode 1076, the larger open circle is intendedto represent the desired work and travel angle targets 1148, and thehorizontal line is intended to represent the desired aim 1150. Thepurpose of the targeting graphic 1144 is to help the user correct thepositioning of the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 such thatthe current targeting 1146 is moved inside the desired work and travelangle targets 1148 and level with the desired aim 1150. When this isdone, the positioning of the actual stick welding electrode 1076 isconsidered to be acceptable. In certain embodiments, the targetinggraphic 1144 may include a vertical line that is intended to represent adesired travel speed.

FIG. 75 illustrates an exemplary screen 1152 that may be displayed whenthe actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 is activated, before theactual welding process has been initiated, while the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074 is in position (e.g., the welding software244 has determined that the actual stick welding electrode 1076 isproximate the actual workpiece 82), and after a contactor (e.g.,contactor 1212 illustrated in FIG. 84) has been enabled to provideactual welding power through the actual stick welding electrode holder1074 (and, thus, the actual stick welding electrode 1076). Asillustrated, a message may be displayed to bystanders that the actualwelding process is about to begin, and that the bystanders should not belooking at the screen 1152, but rather should be paying attention to theimpending actual welding process. FIG. 76 illustrates an exemplaryscreen 1154 that may be displayed when the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074 is activated, just after the actual weldingprocess has been initiated. As will be appreciated, this is the nextstep in the process after screen 1152 of FIG. 75 and that, once theactual welding process has been initiated, the targeting graphic 1144 isremoved to further reduce the possibility of distracting the user.

To further aid in drawing the user's attention away from the stickwelding electrode holders 1070, 1074, in certain embodiments, thetargeting graphic 1144 illustrated in FIGS. 74 and 75 may be positionedmore conveniently for the user. More specifically, FIGS. 77A through 77Cdepict various embodiments of display devices whereby a display of thetargeting graphic 1144 may be produced at various locations moreproximate the welding process being performed by the stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, 1074. For example, FIG. 77A illustrates anembodiment where a display 1156 is integrated into the stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, 1074. In the illustrated embodiment, the display1156 is integrated into the outer structure 1077 of the stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, 1074. More specifically, the illustratedembodiment includes the display 1156 disposed on an extension of theouter structure 1077 of the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074.However, in other embodiments, the display 1156 may be integrated intothe handle 1082 or some other component of the stick welding electrodeholder 1070, 1074. As illustrated in FIG. 77A, the display 1156 may beconfigured to display the targeting graphic 1144 such that the user mayreceive real-time feedback relating to the positioning of the stickwelding electrode holder 1070, 1074 without having to direct the user'sattention away from the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074. Itwill be appreciated that the welding software 244 may be configured tosend control signals through the stick welding electrode holder 1070,1074 to the display 1156 in substantially real-time to adjust thedisplay of the targeting graphic 1144.

FIG. 77B illustrates another embodiment where a handheld device 1158having its own display 1160 is configured to display the targetinggraphic 1144. It will be appreciated that the illustrated handhelddevice 1158 may be located at various locations near the workpiece 82and/or the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074 such that the usermay receive real-time feedback relating to the positioning of the stickwelding electrode holder 1070, 1074 with respect to the workpiece 82without having to direct the user's attention away from the workpiece 82and/or the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074. It will beappreciated that, in certain embodiments, the welding software 244 maybe configured to send control signals to the display 1160 wirelessly(e.g., via the network device 36 illustrated in FIG. 1) in substantiallyreal-time to adjust the display of the targeting graphic 1144. Incertain embodiments, the handheld device 1158 may be a devicespecifically dedicated to displaying the targeting graphic 1144 and/orother graphical representations relating to the welding system 10.However, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 77B, the handheld device1158 may instead be a device not specifically dedicated to displayingthe targeting graphic 1144 and/or other graphical representationsrelating to the welding system 10, but rather a multi-purpose device(such as a smart phone) having a software application installed thereonthat is configured to display the targeting graphic 1144 and/or othergraphical representations relating to the welding system 10. Asillustrated in FIG. 77B, in certain embodiments, a stand 1162 may beused to help orient the handheld device 1158 at a convenient orientationfor the user to view the display 1160 of the handheld device 1158. Incertain embodiments, the stand 1162 may be integrated into the workpiece82 or any other component of the welding system 10. In certainembodiments, the display 1156 of the stick welding electrode holder1070, 1074 of FIG. 77A and/or the display 1160 of the handheld device1158 of FIG. 77B may be configured to display the screenshotsillustrated in FIG. 27.

FIG. 77C illustrates yet another embodiment where the stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, 1074 includes a projection system 1164 configuredto project the targeting graphic 1144 directly onto the workpiece 82. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the projection system 1164 is integratedinto the outer structure 1077 of the stick welding electrode holder1070, 1074. However, in other embodiments, the projection system 1164may be integrated into the handle 1082 or some other component of thestick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074. It may be appreciated that,in such an embodiment, the projection system 1164 may need to beconfigured to direct the projected images around the stick weldingelectrode 1072, 1076. For example, the projection system 1164 mayrequire at least two projection sub-systems disposed on opposite sidesof the stick welding electrode 1072, 1076. Due at least in part to thefact that, in certain embodiments, the stick welding electrode 1072,1076 may be located in various locations and orientations with respectto the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074, numerous projectionsub-systems of the projection system 1164 may need to be located aboutthe stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074, and the welding software244 may be configured to control which of the various projectionsub-systems of the projection system 1164 are used to project thetargeting graphic 1144 onto the workpiece 82 by, for example,selectively activating and controlling the projection sub-systems of theprojection system 1164. It will also be appreciated that, in certainembodiments, the targeting graphic 1144 may be displayed on an internaldisplay 32 of the welding helmet 41 described herein.

In addition, in certain embodiments, the stick welding electrode holder1070, 1074 may include other graphical indicators (e.g., visual guides)for providing real-time feedback to the user. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 78, in certain embodiments, the stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, 1074 may include one or more graphical rangeindicators 1166 (e.g., disposed on an extension of the outer structure1077) for depicting where a specific parameter of interest currently iswith respect to an acceptable range (e.g., between an acceptable lowerand upper limit). Although illustrated in FIG. 78 as relating to travelangle and work angle, the one or more graphical range indicators 1166may related to any of the parameters described herein. In theillustrated embodiment, the one or more graphical range indicators 1166are depicted as being aligned substantially parallel. However, in otherembodiments, the one or more graphical range indicators 1166 may bealigned generally crosswise with each other, thereby representing across-like representation. In the illustrated embodiment, the one ormore graphical range indicators 1166 are integrated into the outerstructure 1077 of the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074.However, in other embodiments, the one or more graphical rangeindicators 1166 may be integrated into the handle 1082 or some othercomponent of the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074. In certainembodiments, the graphical range indicators 1166 may be used inconjunction with the status indicators 1136 discussed with respect toFIGS. 72A and 72B. For example, if the value for a parameter of interesttracked by one of the graphical range indicators 1166 begins to falloutside of the depicted range, corresponding status indicators 1136 maybe appropriately activated.

As described with respect to FIGS. 68A through 68C, in certainembodiments, the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 may includemultiple discrete slots 1114 into which an actual stick weldingelectrode 1076 may be inserted and held. As described herein, the usermay be prompted that the actual stick welding electrode 1076 should notbe bent (so as to improve the accuracy of the tracking of the actualstick welding electrode 1076 during the actual stick welding process.However, in certain circumstances, the user may have reasons for bendingthe actual stick welding electrode 1076. In such situations, asillustrated in FIG. 79, a calibration device 1168 may be slid over thetip of the actual stick welding electrode 1076 after the actual stickwelding electrode 1076 has been bent. In general, in certainembodiments, the calibration device 1168 may be, for example, a sleevethat includes a generally cylindrical body having an inner bore that isspecifically sized to receive (e.g., fit circumferentially around) tips(e.g., distal ends) of actual stick welding electrodes 1076. In certainembodiments, the calibration device 1168 may include a detectionmechanism (e.g., a force sensor, in certain embodiments) disposed in thecalibration device 1168 and configured to detect when the calibrationdevice 1168 has been secured onto the actual stick welding electrode1076

In certain embodiments, the calibration device 1168 may include two ormore visual markers 802, which may be either active or passive markers,the position of which is capable of being detected by the one or moresensing devices 16 to calibrate where, exactly, the tip of the actualstick welding electrode 1076 is (e.g., relative to the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074) and to determine an axis of the actualstick welding electrode 1076 for use by the welding software 244. Thevisual markers 802 on the calibration device 1168 function insubstantially the same manner as the visual markers 802 on thesimulation stick welding electrode 1072, in certain embodiments, tolocate the position of the tip 1090 of the simulation stick weldingelectrode 1072. It will be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, thecalibration device 1168 may be used instead of having the user selectwhich discrete slot 1114 of the actual stick welding electrode holder1074 that the actual stick welding electrode 1076 has been insertedinto. In certain embodiments, the calibration of the calibration device1168 may be initiated via a user input, or when circuitry internal tothe calibration device 1168 detects that the calibration device 1168 hasbeen fully positioned over the tip of the actual stick welding electrode1076. In other embodiments, the calibration of the calibration device1168 may be initiated based on compression or expansion of a distancebetween visual markers 802 of the calibration device 1168.

As described herein, many various types of simulation welding tools andreal-world welding tools may be used with the welding system 10described herein. Accordingly, many various screens may be presented tothe user when using the welding system 10 described herein. FIGS. 80Aand 80B illustrate exemplary screens 1170, 1172 relating to assignmentlists for MIG welding torches (“SmartGuns”) and stick welding electrodeholders (“SmartStingers”), respectively. Both screens 1170, 1172 showassignment lists 1174 for the respective type of welding tool 14. Inaddition, both screens show filters for joint type 1176 (e.g., buttjoint, lap joint, T-joint, etc.) and position 1178 (e.g., horizontal,vertical, etc.). The main difference between the data shown in theassignment lists 1174 and the filters on the screens 1170, 1172 is that,for MIG welding torches, the assignment lists 1174 and the filtersinclude data relating to process type 1180 (e.g., GMAW, GMAW-S, FCAW-G,etc.) and, for the stick welding electrode holders, the assignment lists1174 and the filters include data relating to electrode class 1182(e.g., E6010, E6013, E7018, etc.). In certain embodiments, for any givenuser, up to six electrode class 1182 filter options may be displayed.

In certain embodiments, when a user views his assignments, the defaultscreen 1170, 1172 will be that of the last welding tool 14 the user hadselected. For example, if the last welding tool 14 selected by the userwas a stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074, screen 1172 will be thedefault assignment screen for the user. In certain embodiments, if auser selects an assignment for a welding tool 14 that is not connectedto the welding system 10, a message may be displayed on-screen informingthe user to connect that type of welding tool 14 before proceeding. Incertain embodiments, the selected welding tool type 1184 may bedisplayed in the top left corner of the assignment selection screens1170, 1172, and all subsequent setup and test screens. The selectedwelding tool type 1184 may also be displayed on history screenscorresponding to the particular type of welding tool 14, as well asAssignment Management screens.

In addition to the assignment selection screens 1170, 1172 illustratedin FIGS. 80A and 81B, welding tool calibration screens 1186 may bedisplayed for each type of welding tool 14. FIG. 81 illustrates anexemplary calibration screen 1186 for a MIG welding gun (“SmartGun”). Asillustrated, the calibration screens 1186 may provide step-by-stepprocedures for calibration the selected type of welding tool 14. Asillustrated in FIG. 81, the first step for calibrating a MIG welding gunis selecting whether the gun is new to the welding system 10. The secondstep for calibrating the MIG welding gun is confirming and updatingdimensions of a gun axis calibration tool (e.g., calibration tool 610illustrated in FIGS. 37 and 38), if necessary. The third step forcalibrating the MIG welding gun is attaching the gun axis calibrationtip (e.g., tip 614 of the calibration tool 610 illustrated in FIGS. 37and 38) as shown. The fourth step for calibrating the MIG welding gun ismounting the gun and selecting Calibrate for multiple positions. Asillustrated, there are also additional options for advanced users, whichcan be selected. As illustrated in FIG. 82, additional help screens 1188may be shown to help users know how to use, among other things, thetargeting graphics 1144 (i.e., visual guides).

As discussed herein with respect to FIG. 73, in certain embodiments, arclength or arc length index may be determined by the welding software 244and displayed on-screen as a tracked parameter. However, in otherembodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 83, instead of arc length or arclength index, feed rate 1192 may be determined and displayed on-screenas a tracked parameter. In general, feed rate 1192 (e.g., anapproximation of the rate of consumption of the stick welding electrode1072, 1076) is the rate of change of distance between the stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, 1074 and the workpiece 82 along an axis of thestick welding electrode 1072, 1076. As such, it will be appreciated thatsince the position, orientation, and/or movement of the stick weldingelectrode holder 1070, 1074 is tracked by the one or more sensingdevices 16, and the position of the workpiece 82 is either tracked bythe one or more sensing devices 16 or known, then the rate of change ofthe distance between the stick welding electrode holder 1070, 1074 andthe workpiece 82 along an axis of the stick welding electrode 1072, 1076is a fairly straightforward calculation.

As described herein, various different types of actual and simulationwelding tools 14 may be used with the welding system 10 describedherein. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that, in certainembodiments, power sources configured to provide power to these variousactual and simulation welding tools 14 may also be used in conjunctionwith the welding system 10 described herein. As will also beappreciated, management of the power and data between these variouspower sources, actual and simulation welding tools 14, and the weldingsystem 10 can become somewhat cumbersome, due at least to the sheernumber of possible connections, cables, and so forth. Accordingly, incertain embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 84, a dedicated connection(router) box 1194 may be used to connect the various power sources,actual and simulation welding tools 14, the welding system 10, and otherrelated components and devices.

As illustrated in FIG. 84, in certain embodiments, the connection box1194 may include a connector 1196 configured to connect to a data cable1198 configured to connect to the welding system 10 such that data (fromthe welding tools 14 and other components and devices connected to theconnection box 1194) can be communicated from the connection box 1194 tothe welding system 10 for processing. It will be appreciated that, incertain embodiments, control signals may also be communicated from thewelding system 10 to the welding tools 14 and other components anddevices connected to the connection box 1194 via the data cable 1198. Assuch, the connection box 1194 is used to route data between the weldingsystem 10 and the welding tools 14.

In certain embodiments, the various power sources that provide power tothe welding tools 14 may interact with the welding tools 14 and theconnection box 1194 in various ways, depending on the particular needsof the welding tools 14. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 84, incertain embodiments, a MIG power source 1200 may provide welding powerdirectly to a MIG welding tool 14, and the MIG welding tool 14 maycommunicate directly with the MIG power source 1200, for example, toprovide trigger control signals, and so forth. As such, in certainembodiments, the connection box 1194 may include only a single connector1202 configured to connect to a data cable 1204 configured to connect tothe MIG welding tool 14 such that data can be communicated from the MIGwelding tool 14 through the connection box 1194 to the welding system 10for processing. It will be appreciated that, in certain embodiments,control signals may also be communicated from the welding system 10(through the connection box 1194) to the MIG welding tool 14 via thedata cable 1204.

In contrast, in certain embodiments, the connection box 1194 may includea connector 1206 configured to connect to a weld power cable 1208configured to connect to a stick welding power source 1210 configured toprovide power suitable for a stick welding process performed by anactual stick welding electrode holder 1074. In certain embodiments, theconnection box 1194 may include a contactor 1212 configured to beenabled (e.g., closed) or disabled (e.g., opened) to provide weldingpower to an actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 that is connectedto the connection box 1194 or prevent the welding power from beingprovided to the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074. To that end,in certain embodiments, the connection box 1194 may also include aconnector 1214 configured to connect a weld power cable 1216 configuredto connect to an actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 such thatthe weld power provided by the stick welding power source 1210 may beprovided to the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 through theconnection box 1194 when the contactor 1212 of the connection box 1194is enabled. In certain embodiments, after the contactor 1212 has beenturned on, the amount of power used to drive the contactor 1212 may varybased on the state of the contactor 1212. For example, significantlymore power is used to turn the contactor 1212 on than to maintain thecontactor 1212 in the on state.

In certain embodiments, when it is determined that the length of theactual stick welding electrode 1076 is under a certain length (e.g.,under 3 inches, in certain embodiments), the contactor 1212 may beopened to stop welding. In addition, in certain embodiments, thecontactor 1212 will be configured to be normally open (e.g., in a safemode). In certain embodiments, the welding system 10 and/or controlcircuitry 1234 of the connection box 1194 may track the number of timesthe contactor 1212 opens mid-weld and, when the life limit (e.g.,100,000 cycles in certain embodiments) of the contactor 1212 approaches,the user (or, perhaps more commonly, the instructor) may be alerted(e.g., via a display associated with the welding system 10 and/or theconnection box 1194).

In addition, in certain embodiments, the connection box 1194 may includea connector 1218 configured to connect to a data cable 1220 configuredto connect to the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 such thatdata from the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 may becommunicated back through the connection box 1194 to the welding system10. It will be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, control signalsmay also be communicated from the welding system 10 to the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074 via the data cable 1220. Similarly, incertain embodiments, the connection box 1194 may include a connector1222 configured to connect to a data cable 1224 configured to connect toa simulation welding electrode holder 1070 such that data from thesimulation stick welding electrode holder 1070 may be communicated backthrough the connection box 1194 to the welding system 10. It will beappreciated that, in certain embodiments, control signals may also becommunicated from the welding system 10 to the simulation stick weldingelectrode holder 1070 via the data cable 1224.

It should be noted that, in certain embodiments, an actual or simulationTIG welding torch may be connected to the welding system 10 via aseparate TIG connection box 1226 that connects to the connection box1194 and has specific circuitry configured to control the flow of weldpower and data to and from the actual or simulation TIG welding torch.To that end, in such embodiments, the connection box 1194 may include aconnector 1228 for connecting to the TIG connection box 1226.

In addition, in certain embodiments, the connection box 1194 may includea connector 1230 configured to connect to a DC power source 1232 suchthat DC power may be provided to the connection box 1194 to providepower for control circuitry 1234 (as well as other circuitry) of theconnection box 1194. It will be appreciated that, in certainembodiments, the power source 1232 may instead be an AC power source,and the connection box 1194 may include AC-to-DC conversion circuitryconfigured to convert the AC power to DC power for the control circuitry1234 (and other circuitry) of the connection box 1194. In certainembodiments, the control circuitry 1234 of the connection box 1194 mayinclude, among other things, one or more processors 1236, one or morememory devices 1238, and one or more storage devices 1240. In otherembodiments, the control circuitry 1234 may not include the processor(s)1236, the memory device(s) 1238, and/or the storage device(s) 1240. Theprocessor(s) 1236 may be used to execute software algorithms asdescribed herein. Moreover, the processor(s) 1236 may be similar to theprocessor(s) 20 described previously. Furthermore, the memory device(s)1238 may be similar to the memory device(s) 22, and the storagedevice(s) 1240 may be similar to the storage device(s) 24. It will beappreciated that, in certain embodiments, the control circuitry 1234 ofthe connection box 1194 may function in cooperation with the weldingsoftware 244 of the welding system 10, for example, sharing certainprocessing of information.

It will be appreciated that the control circuitry 1234 of the connectionbox 1194 may obviate the need for having processing circuitry disposedin some of the actual and simulation welding tools 14 (e.g., the stickwelding electrode holders 1070, 1074 illustrated in FIG. 84). Forexample, in certain embodiments, the control circuitry 1234 may beconfigured to control all, or at least most, of the local operationalfeatures of the stick welding electrode holders 1070, 1074 describedherein without the need of processing circuitry disposed in the stickwelding electrode holders 1070, 1074. For example, the control functionsfor controlling the stick electrode holding assemblies 1078, 1080 (see,e.g., FIGS. 64A, 64B, 65A, 65B, and 67), the control functions forcontrolling the simulated arc starting feature, the control functionsfor interacting with the button panels 1118, 1120 (see, e.g., FIGS. 69Aand 69B), the control functions for controlling the status indicators1136 (see, e.g., FIGS. 72A and 72B), the targeting graphics 1144 (see,e.g., FIGS. 77A, 77B, and 77C), and graphical range indicators 1166(see, e.g., FIG. 78), and so forth, may be performed by the controlcircuitry 1234 of the connection box 1194, thereby obviating the need tohave processing circuitry in the stick welding electrode holders 1070,1074 for performing these control functions. In addition, in certainembodiments, the connection box 1194 may include one or more statusindicators 1241 (e.g., light emitting diodes, in certain embodiments)disposed on an outer housing 1243 of the connection box 1194. The statusindicators 1241 may indicate one or more statuses relating to operationsof the connection box 1194 including, but not limited to, a state of thecontactor 1212 (e.g., closed or open, enabling or disabling weldingpower, and so forth), whether communications are established with thewelding system 10, whether the connection box 1194 is powered on or off,and so forth. It should be noted that all other components of theconnection box 1194 illustrated in FIG. 84 as being disposed within, ordisposed on, the housing 1243 of the connection box 1194 are, indeed,disposed within, or disposed on, the common housing 1243 of theconnection box 1194.

Furthermore, having a dedicated connection box 1194 for connecting thevarious power sources, actual and simulation welding tools 14, thewelding system 10, and other related components and devices, alsofacilitates certain functionality relating to power and data managementthat might otherwise be difficult, if not impossible, without theconnection box 1194 described herein. For example, in certainembodiments, the connection box 1194 may include current sensing orvoltage sensing circuitry (C/V sensing circuitry) 1242, which may sensethe current or voltage being delivered to the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074 via the weld power cable 1216. An additionalbenefit of having the C/V sensing circuitry 1242 in the connection box1194 is that the connection box 1194 can determine when there is no morecurrent flowing to the actual stick welding electrode holder 1074, andmay notify the welding software 244 that the test has begun or has endedbased on this determination (e.g., a sensed current exceeding, or notexceeding, a threshold). In certain embodiments, the C/V sensingcircuitry 1242 may be configured to sense the voltage, and the sensedvoltage may be used to detect the polarity of the welding power (e.g.,alternating current (AC), direct current electrode negative (DCEN),direct current electrode positive (DCEP), and so forth), and the usermay be notified whether the detected polarity is correct (i.e., that theactual stick welding electrode holder 1074 is connected properly). Inother words, the control circuitry 1234 (and/or the welding software244) may generate a prompt via the status indicator(s) 1241 of theconnection box 1194, via the status indicator(s) 1136 of the weldingtools 14, and/or via any other status indicator (or other output device)described herein, when the detected polarity is not the same as apolarity setting for the welding system 10 (i.e., a desired polarity setby a user via the welding system 10 or otherwise programmed into thewelding system 10).

In addition, in certain embodiments, the control circuitry 1234 of theconnection box 1194 (in conjunction with the C/V sensing circuitry 1242)may execute a stick-stuck algorithm (e.g., stored in the memorydevice(s) 1238 and/or the storage device(s) 1240 of the controlcircuitry 1234 and executable by the processor(s) 1236 of the controlcircuitry 1234) that is configured to determine when an actual stickwelding electrode 1076 is stuck to the workpiece 82. Exemplary logic forsuch a stick-stuck algorithm is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,750,427,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In addition,in certain embodiments, the control circuitry 1234 of the connection box1194 may include a stick-stuck algorithm (e.g., stored in the memorydevice(s) 1238 and/or the storage device(s) 1240 of the controlcircuitry 1234 and executable by the processor(s) 1236 of the controlcircuitry 1234) that is configured to estimate when a simulated stickwelding electrode 1072 would have become stuck to the simulatedworkpiece 82 (e.g., if it were an actual stick welding electrode 1076and the workpiece 82 were a real workpiece). Upon stick-stuck detection,various responses may be generated including, but not limited to,providing messages on-screen, recording the occurrence of thestick-stuck event (e.g., in the memory device(s) 1238 and/or the storagedevice(s) 1240 of the control circuitry 1234), automatically failing thetest, determining a state of the contactor 1212 (e.g., closed or open,enabling or disabling welding power, and so forth), and so forth. Inaddition, in certain embodiments, upon detection of a stick-stuck event,the control circuitry 1234 may cause the contactor 1212 to open todisable welding. In certain embodiments, once unstuck, the user may pusha button (or otherwise activate another input element) to reset thestick-stuck algorithm. One possible way of determining whether thestick-stuck event is still occurring may be to send a low voltage signalthrough the actual stick welding electrode 1076, and if the signalreturns, it may be presumed that the actual stick welding electrode 1076is still stuck to the workpiece 82. In certain embodiments, once a stateof the contactor 1212 (e.g., closed or open, enabling or disablingwelding power, and so forth) has been determined by the controlcircuitry 1234 (and/or the welding software 244), the control circuitry1234 (and/or the welding software 244) may determine a condition of thecontactor 1212 (e.g., whether the contactor 1212 is functioningproperly, whether the contactor 1212 has failed, and so forth), forexample, by comparing a driven state of the contactor 1212 (e.g., as setby the welding system 10) versus the actual state of the contactor 1212.

The contactor 1212 and the C/V sensing circuitry 1242 of the connectionbox 1194 enable various additional functionality. For example, incertain embodiments, the control circuitry 1234 (and/or the weldingsoftware 244) may calibrate the current and/or voltage of the weldingpower provided to a connected welding tool 14 based at least in part onthe current and/or voltage sensed by the C/V sensing circuitry 1242. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the control circuitry 1234 (and/or thewelding software 244) may command the current (or voltage) of thewelding power provided to the connected welding tool 14 to be lowered(raised) if the current (or voltage) sensed by the C/V sensing circuitry1242 is greater (less) than a desired current (or voltage) (e.g., acurrent (or voltage) set via the welding system 10). In addition, incertain embodiments, the C/V sensing circuitry 1242 may detect an opencircuit voltage (OCV), and the control circuitry 1234 (and/or thewelding software 244) may generate a prompt via the status indicator(s)1241 of the connection box 1194, via the status indicator(s) 1136 of thewelding tools 14, and/or via any other status indicator (or other outputdevice) described herein, upon detection of the OCV. For example, incertain embodiments, a user may be prompted to properly connect awelding tool 14, and so forth. In addition, in certain embodiments, if aparticular type of welding tool 14 (e.g., stick, MIG, TIG, and so forth)is used that is not compatible with a selected type of welding process(e.g., stick, MIG, TIG, and so forth) for the welding system 10 (i.e., adesired type of welding process set by a user via the welding system 10or otherwise programmed into the welding system 10), the controlcircuitry 1234 (and/or the welding software 244) may generate a promptvia the status indicator(s) 1241 of the connection box 1194, via thestatus indicator(s) 1136 of the welding tools 14, and/or via any otherstatus indicator (or other output device) described herein.

In certain embodiments, a state machine may be implemented (e.g., in thewelding software 244) to help control operation of the actual stickwelding electrode holder 1074. FIG. 85 depicts a summary of an exemplarystate machine. In general, the items to the left of the black barrepresent current operating conditions, and the items to the right ofthe black bar represent responses to the particular combinations ofoperating conditions. For example, the operating conditions that aretaken into account are whether a screen cover is opened or closed (e.g.,1244), whether the test is in a pre-test mode (e.g., if the weldingprocess is not yet being performed) or a mid-test mode (e.g., if thewelding process is currently being performed) (e.g., 1246), whether theposition, orientation, and/or movement of the actual stick weldingelectrode holder 1074 is currently being tracked (e.g., 1248), whetherthe actual stick welding electrode holder 1074 is proximate (near/far)the workpiece 82 (e.g., 1250), and whether an arc has been detected(e.g., 1252). Depending on these operating conditions, the contactor1212 of the connection box 1194 may be opened or closed (e.g., 1254),certain graphics may be displayed to the user (e.g., 1256), thetargeting graphics 1144 may be displayed and/or the status indicators1136 may be activated, as described herein (e.g., 1258), certain soundseffects may be generated (e.g., 1260), a warning may be displayed viathe primary display (e.g., 1262), and the test may either be started(e.g., 1264) or ended (e.g., 1266).

It should be noted that while described herein as a connection box 1194that includes a variety of components enclosed within a common housing1243, and that the connection box 1194 is separate from the weldingsystem 10, in certain embodiments, the components illustrated in FIG. 84as being part of the connection box 1194 may be integrated into thewelding system 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 and may be configured tocommunicate with the control circuitry (e.g., the welding software 244,among other control circuitry) of the welding system 10 and, as such,these components may collectively form a welding training systeminterface for interfacing with the welding system 10.

As used herein, the term “predetermined range” may mean any of thefollowing: a group of numbers bounded by a predetermined upper limit anda predetermined lower limit, a group of number greater than apredetermined limit, and a group of numbers less than a predeterminedlimit. Moreover, the range may include numbers equal to the one or morepredetermined limits.

While only certain features of the present disclosure have beenillustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes willoccur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understoodthat the appended claims are intended to cover all such modificationsand changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure.

1. A stick electrode holder comprising: an outer structure configured toat least partially surround a stick electrode holding assemblyconfigured to hold a stick electrode; and a plurality of sets of lightemitting diodes fixedly connected to the outer structure of the stickelectrode holding assembly and configured to be detected by a positiondetecting system, wherein each set of light emitting diodes comprises aplurality of light emitting diodes configured to emit light insubstantially parallel linear directions.
 2. The stick electrode holderof claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of light emitting diodes arefixedly connected to the outer structure.
 3. The stick electrode holderof claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of light emitting diodes arefixedly connected to the stick electrode holding assembly.
 4. The stickelectrode holder of claim 1, wherein each of the substantially parallellinear directions of the respective sets of light emitting diodes aresubstantially different.
 5. The stick electrode holder of claim 1,wherein the stick electrode holding assembly is configured to deliver anelectrical current through the stick electrode, wherein the electricalcurrent is sufficient to generate a welding arc to a workpiece through atip of the stick electrode during an actual stick welding process. 6.The stick electrode holder of claim 1, wherein the stick electrodeholding assembly comprises a stick electrode retraction assemblyconfigured to mechanically retract a stick electrode toward the stickelectrode holding assembly to simulate consumption of the stickelectrode during a simulated stick welding process.
 7. The stickelectrode holder of claim 1, wherein the stick electrode holdingassembly is configured to orient the stick electrode in a plurality ofangular orientations relative to the stick electrode holder.
 8. Thestick electrode holder of claim 7, wherein the stick electrode holdingassembly comprises a plurality of discrete slots into which the stickelectrode is configured to be inserted, wherein each discrete slot ofthe plurality of discrete slots has a respective discrete angularorientation.
 9. The stick electrode holder of claim 8, wherein the stickelectrode holder is in communication with control circuitry configuredto accept a user input relating to a selected discrete angularorientation.
 10. The stick electrode holder of claim 9, wherein thecontrol circuitry is configured to determine an actual orientation ofthe stick electrode based at least in part on the user input.
 11. Thestick electrode holder of claim 7, wherein the stick electrode holder isin communication with control circuitry configured to determine aselected angular orientation based at least in part on feedback from theposition detecting system.
 12. The stick electrode holder of claim 7,wherein the stick electrode holding assembly is configured to be rotatedwith respect to the stick electrode holder to orient the stick electrodein a plurality of continuous angular orientations.
 13. The stickelectrode holder of claim 7, comprising a sensor configured to detect aselected angular orientation of the stick electrode.
 14. The stickelectrode holder of claim 1, wherein the position detecting system is aposition detecting system of a weld training system.
 15. A stickelectrode holder comprising: a handle and an outer structure coupled toa distal end of the handle, wherein the outer structure is configured toat least partially surround a stick electrode holding assemblyconfigured to hold a stick electrode; and one or more input elementsconfigured to receive user inputs relating to a welding system to enableor disable welding power to the stick electrode holder or to enableselection of options relating to operation of the stick electrodeholder.
 16. The stick electrode holder of claim 15, comprising a weldingpower indicator configured to indicate whether the welding power to thestick electrode holder has been enabled or disabled.
 17. The stickelectrode holder of claim 15, wherein the stick electrode holder isconfigured to transmit a signal to enable or disable the welding powerto a contactor of a welding training system interface.
 18. The stickelectrode holder of claim 15, wherein the one or more input elementscomprises one or more buttons.
 19. The stick electrode holder of claim18, wherein the one or more buttons comprise at least one buttonconfigured to control navigation through menus displayed on a display ofthe welding system.
 20. The stick electrode holder of claim 15, whereinthe stick electrode holding assembly is configured to deliver anelectrical current through the stick electrode, wherein the electricalcurrent is sufficient to generate a welding arc to a workpiece through atip of the stick electrode during an actual stick welding process. 21.The stick electrode holder of claim 15, wherein the one or more inputelements are disposed on the handle.
 22. The stick electrode holder ofclaim 15, wherein the one or more input elements are disposed on theouter structure.
 23. A stick electrode holder comprising: a stickelectrode holding assembly configured to hold a stick electrode and toorient the stick electrode in a plurality of angular orientationsrelative to the stick electrode holder; and one or more markers fixedlyconnected to the stick electrode holding assembly and configured to bedetected by a position detecting system.
 24. The stick electrode holderof claim 23, wherein the stick electrode holding assembly is configuredto be fixed into one of a plurality of discrete angular orientations.25. The stick electrode holder of claim 23, wherein the stick electrodeholding assembly is configured to be fixed in a plurality of continuousangular orientations.
 26. The stick electrode holder of claim 23,wherein the position detecting system is a position detecting system ofa weld training system.
 27. A stick electrode calibration devicecomprising: a sleeve configured to fit circumferentially around a distalend of a stick electrode; and one or more markers fixedly connected tothe sleeve, wherein the markers are configured to be detected by aposition detecting system.